Death's Resonance
by kuro-yumi
Summary: When he took her as his hostage, he didn't expect her to be that much trouble. She drove him up the wall. Lor was nothing but a spoiled brat, and he couldn't wait to get rid of her. But a little voice was using a cudgel on his head over and over. Was she really what he thought she was? [HIATUS; now slowly editing/making major changes, so you might want to reread from the beginning]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: The more I think about the plot and characters, the more I want to change as much as possible. I really need to catch up with the anime... I will be changing everything I'm not satisfied with, so there will be quite a lot. If you like the story, you might want to reread it.

Edited: July 23, 2016

* * *

"Get back inside, you idiot!" Smoker roared.

The girl only blinked blankly, surveying the bloody battle on the deck. Her eyes shifted longingly over the scenery before her, so close, yet out of reach. For a moment, she wondered why she didn't just leap out into the fray, escape into the confusion and out into freedom. It wasn't like she was physically leashed—physical bindings were another matter—nor did she have strong emotional bonds to anyone or anything on the marine ship.

Perhaps if Smoker hadn't yelled, none of the pirates would have noticed the single figure standing motionless on the deck, clad all in white. As it was, none of the Heart Pirates paid the female any attention.

Except, of course, the Surgeon of Death.

He smirked. Perfect. In the split second during which Smoker had been distracted, he moved behind the girl, the blade of his nodachi pressing into her throat, easily slicing through the white material she wore, but not quite yet breaking skin. At the back of his mind, he noticed that his shirt was getting soaked from her wet hair.

Smoker let out a string of curse words, glaring at the pirate. His every muscle tensed, unwilling to attack lest the pirate harmed the girl, yet unwilling to just let the pirates go either. Seeing the marine's indecision, Trafalgar Law's smirk only grew wider.

"Hakuryou-ya, why don't you order your crew to stop fighting?" Trafalgar Law suggested, the tone of his voice making it clear that it was not a suggestion, but rather an order.

Smoker only growled, his urge to kill the upstart pirate quickly tilting the scales on his mental balance. The glare on his face grew darker, and he took a threatening step towards the pirate and his hostage. Law sighed dramatically, and smirked at the marine captain, his gaze full of mockery towards the man. He considered himself lucky that they encountered Smoker, of all marines. Unlike most of the marine trash, that man had a strict sense of justice that he followed no matter what. Law's lips turned in a vicious sneer. So which would it be? His absolute pursuit of pirates? Or the woman's—most likely a civilian—life?

"Mesu," Law stated, and the girl's heart popped out of her chest, landing in his outstretched hand.

"Trafalgar Law!" Smoker snarled, outraged.

Law hummed in amusement. He did so enjoy riling up his opponents, but unfortunately Smoker seemed to know about his abilities. Otherwise, he suspected the man would be at his throat already. As it was, Smoker already looked ready to pounce and tear out Law's throat.

Law glanced down at the girl, studying her. Hostage situations only worked if the hostage's life was worth more than the criminal's. The girl seemed to be important enough that Smoker would not risk her death. Otherwise, Smoker would have attacked without regard for her life, and justified her death with Law's capture.

The girl still hadn't reacted to having a hole torn out of her chest. She merely stared blankly down at the place where her heart was supposed to be. As if suddenly realizing that a vital organ was missing, her eyes widened. But rather than terror, her heartbeat remained steady in Law's hand, even as she poked her hand through the hole and glanced over her shoulder to see her fingers emerge from the other side. She wriggled her fingers, still wide eyed, and poked Law's chest a few times before taking her hand out of her chest.

"Hm," was all she could say.

Law's eyes flicked to her outfit once again, and a brow shifted upwards in mild curiosity. He would have to take a proper look at what she was wearing later. It looked a little too much like bondage. Or even a straitjacket.

"Trafalgar Law, release her immediately and surrender," Smoker demanded with a scowl.

"I don't think you're in a position to make demands," Law replied, voice laced with dark amusement. "She's my hostage now."

As if to prove his absolute power over the marine, he lowered his nodachi from the girl's throat, and held up her heart instead. Smoker's hands tightened around his own weapons, but he made no move. He got the message loud and clear—Law held more power over the girl's life now, because while a weapon could have been knocked away, Law now merely had to squeeze the heart to kill the girl.

Law felt the girl shuffle around. He tensed for a moment as her hands delved into her pockets. A weapon? But she only brought out a pen and notepad, scribbling something on a fresh page. Law felt a little more curiosity. His suspicions were confirmed. Her outfit served to gag her.

She held up the pad. 'You know, you're really good looking. But I don't like being treated as a toy. Can I have my heart back, Dr. Heart Stealer?'

Law's eyes met hers for a moment, and his brows rose for a moment, before his mind filled in the blanks and he reached the most logical conclusion. He turned his gaze away, dismissing the girl. Other than the peculiar reaction to having her heart torn out, he had seen plenty of women like her, who practically radiated sexuality. Women like her reacted to danger by using their sexuality to get out of bad situations. He was willing to bet that she would try and bed him if he kidnapped her…

He glanced back up at Smoker. Considering Smoker's reaction, was she his whore? Or rather, Law mused, considering Smoker's reaction, he probably loved the girl, whore or not. Law's bored look turned into a smirk once again. Perfect.

"We're retreating!" Law yelled to his crew.

Scattered yells of agreement found their way back to his ears, and the crew began to clear a path back to the sub, in a well-practiced formation, carrying the injured. The marines weren't making things easy. Still, Law watched with a semblance of relaxation, as the healthiest fought off the marines while the others escaped onto the sub, before they backed away step by step, still holding off the marines, until they, too, were safe on their vessel.

Law slung the girl over his shoulder—ignoring the yelp as she dropped her notepad—and sneered at Smoker. "Shambles."

"Trafalgar Law!" Smoker bellowed, absolutely livid.

"Tsk tsk. I told you. She is my hostage. Now be a good marine and leave us alone," Law smirked as Smoker roared his rage, the sound cut off by Law slamming the door shut in preparation for the submarine to submerge. With the marine out of sight, Law's smirk disappeared.

"Get the injured to the infirmary," he barked. "And put… _this_ in a cell."

"Captain?" Bepo asked uncertainly, his glance shifting from the girl hanging over Law's shoulder to the heart beating in his hand, then back to his captain.

"This thing is our hostage," Law said dismissively, dropping the girl unceremoniously onto the floor. "Hakuryou-ya won't attack us as long as we have her."

 _Probably_ , Law thought, but it wasn't guaranteed. Smoker could decide at any time that it was worth it to sink the submarine, the girl and all. The others on the crew apparently thought the same, as the sub immediately began to submerge, the warning alarm wailing.

It was a relief when no attack struck.

Law glanced at the beating heart as Bepo picked up the girl gingerly and carried the hostage away. This, he would keep until he decided what to do with her.

Actually, he had no clue. What did people normally do with hostages? He had never taken one before—all he had had were prisoners. He usually dissected those, or experimented on them. Hostages, on the other hand, were worth more alive than dead. He _could_ just dump her on the next island, or he could experiment on her and _then_ drop her on an island. He _did_ want to find out why she was gagged, after all, if it wasn't just some kind of sex game. Then Law shook his head at himself. If it was just some kind of fetish, there were better gags that only tied up the mouth. The girl's outfit seemed more like daily wear.

Then Law shrugged. He would find out eventually.

The submarine's cells weren't exactly the best place for a person to live. They were specifically kept for the purpose of taking prisoners or living creatures that Law wanted to keep for an eventual experiment and/or dissection. Until April came aboard two years ago, something or other had always been in the cells. But since she didn't like the cruelty of experimenting on or cutting open living creatures, the cells had been empty. In fact, a few had become storage space.

Bepo put the girl down on the cot, and surveyed the space. Aside from the cot with a thin blanket, there was a particle with a washbasin and a toilet. No bath, but Bepo doubted she would be kept in there that long. Even if she was, they could bring her to one of the bathrooms.

"I know it's not the best place to live, but you'll have to stay in here for a while. It's not very comfortable. I'm sorry," Bepo said.

Her eyes widened, and she gestured quickly, trying to communicate with her hands as well as she could. 'You talk!'

At least that was the message Bepo got from it.

"I'm sorry," Bepo apologized.

She looked perplexed for a moment. Had he misunderstood her?

Bepo put her down and backed out of the cell, closing and locking the door. He glanced uncertainly at the girl once again. She didn't look like a threat. Couldn't she stay somewhere more habitable? There were still a few spare rooms in the sub, and some of those were locked with a key. She could stay in one of those rooms, couldn't she? It would probably work out if Bepo locked the room from outside and carried the key with him.

Then again, that was all up to his captain. And since his captain said she would stay in the cells, she would stay in the cells.

The girl lay back and stared at the ceiling. How did she get into this situation? Just a moment ago she could have escaped into freedom. Now, she was stuck on a pirate ship as their hostage, and said pirates had no idea how to take care of her. She sighed. It was hot too. Probably because it was a submarine and didn't have circulating air. She didn't like the heat. Somewhere wet and cold would be nice.

Her gaze wandered to the sink. Maybe she should dump water all over herself…

She sighed again and rolled off the bed with a thump, and let out a small groan. That had hurt. She blinked once, twice, and froze, eyes looking at an upside-down female. Oh, wait. She was the one upside-down. She flipped onto her stomach, looking up at the female outside the bars. She was quite pretty, with light brown hair that matched the ship.

The brown haired female stared at the girl. Then her face twisted into a scowl. " _TRAFALGAR LAW!_ "


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Updates are slow, I know, and I apologize. But once I finish my Gintama story (soon, I hope) I will try to work on this a little more. Writer's block doesn't help.

Thanks for faving and following: KoreanMusicFan, FairyPiece1, PeyPeyPeyton22, wag11137, and Fellichan

Update: July 6, 2016

* * *

The girl flinched. Being used to male voices, hearing a sound as loud and shrill as the one coming out of the brunette's mouth was harsh on her ears. It probably wouldn't be an exaggeration to liken the woman's scream to that of a banshee—well, to _her_ ears it wouldn't. To anyone else's, April's voice was nice and low, rather than high and irritating.

It took a moment for the owner of the name to appear, the footsteps slow and unhurried but still moving with a purpose, as if he was disinclined towards rushing like some loyal dog when his name was called. Trafalgar Law, as the girl in the cell surmised, was probably a headstrong man with a lot of pride and an overly swollen head. Not someone she would ever take a liking to.

The woman scowled at Law even before he fully came into sight, and growled, "What is the meaning of this?"

Law raised an eyebrow at April, his expression clearly portraying his irritation and displeasure. He had just returned from fighting the marines _ten minutes ago_. He needed to treat the crew members who had been injured by those damned marines, and _not_ be at his girlfriend's beck and call!

"A hostage," Law snapped back, barely sparing the green haired hostage a glance.

" _Law_ ," April hissed. "There is a _girl_ in the _cell_."

Of course. Law fought the urge to roll his eyes. Women were so _irritating_ and _fussy_. Why did he ever bring this one on board? Oh yeah. He was _dating_ her. Law had no idea what possessed his mind when he had found himself attracted to her, enough so that he had let her onto his sub.

Strangely, he was reminded once in a while, enough to forget that he sometimes wanted to throw her to the sea kings.

"I don't have any interest in whores. And she's probably slept with every marine on that ship, which makes her a whore," Law told the girl, his tone bored, only half trying to calm her down. But it appeared that he had misunderstood why his girlfriend was so angry.

"That's not the problem!" April shouted in exasperation and more than a little anger. "You _don't_ treat women like that, hostage or not! And she's just a child!"

Right. Apparently Law also forgot that April was a feminist.

"She's a hostage," Law repeated, leveling a blank stare at April.

"She's a _child_ in a _cell_ ," April retorted, glancing over the teenaged hostage once again, before she faltered, doing a double take. "Is… Is that a _hole_ in her chest?!"

Law shrugged. "Insurance."

" _Trafalgar Law!_ "

Law almost rolled his eyes before he leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips, trying to diffuse some of the righteous anger by being a sweet boyfriend. He inwardly scoffed. Sweet. Him. If April hadn't figured out by now that Law didn't _do_ sweet, it was her loss. It just made it a lot easier to twist her around his little finger.

"She's a hostage. She can survive a few days in a cell," Law said.

April hesitated. "Only a few days?"

"Only a few days," Law agreed amiably.

April wasn't really happy with that. As Bepo had thought earlier, the cells really weren't fit for humans to live. But if it was _only_ for a few days, the girl would probably survive.

If she had been a _normal_ person, they would have been right. Normal people could survive in the cell for a few days, even longer. But the green haired girl felt her mind slip bit by bit, and each day just got worse. If she was being honest, she would say she was a little worried. Not for herself. Not for Trafalgar Law, either, because the bastard could just go and get himself tortured slowly to death, for all she cared. But for the cute talking polar bear.

And then another few days passed, and suddenly she no longer gave a shit about the polar bear, except _how to get all that fur out of the way_.

Bright gold eyes, slit like a feral cat's, stared unblinkingly as the polar bear slid the tray of food into the cell and ambled away. The girl didn't touch the food. It didn't interest her. She simply lay there watching, waiting. Someone eventually had to come take the tray away. Someone eventually had to fetch her from the cell. She could bide her time and wait.

Bepo frowned as he slid the tray back out with a claw. It was full, untouched. He already knew the food the crew made was unappetizing, but it wasn't _inedible_. That the crew was still alive attested to that. Well, either that, or they had all developed digestive systems of steel. Bepo shuddered a little at the thought. He wouldn't put it past their captain to replace their organs while they were sleeping, even if it was only to make them capable of eating almost _anything_.

"She didn't eat? _Again_?" Shachi asked the bear, more than a little annoyed. "What does she think she is, a plant?"

"At this rate she'll starve to death," Bepo fretted.

No matter what they brought for the girl to eat, she didn't touch any of it. Well, it wasn't as if any of the food they made looked like it was edible, but she was a hostage. And she should know that a hostage as best kept _alive_ , right? There was no point in killing a hostage, unless it was clear that they no longer worked properly. As far as Bepo could tell, their captain was so completely uninterested in the girl that he had probably forgotten about her, which meant he wasn't exactly planning to kill or dissect her either.

Penguin frowned, looking uncharacteristically thoughtful. "You know, anybody ever thought of removing that gag over her mouth?"

Bepo and Shachi stared at Penguin as if he had grown another head. Penguin said something _smart_? Since when did Penguin develop a _brain_? And then the mechanic's words hit, and Bepo groaned. No, he had _not_ , in fact, ever thought of removing the gag. He had just assumed the girl would do it herself—actually, he didn't think about it at all.

"I'm sorry!" Bepo cried.

"We're not allowed in the cell without the captain's permission," Shachi said.

The three shared a look. Should they go to the captain? Bothering him with something so small wasn't exactly the best idea, but disobeying him was a terrible idea. Even for a short time, they did _not_ want to switch hearts with dinner, because having the personality of a dead pig was _not_ fun.

Bepo shifted nervously. He really did _not_ want to go disturb the captain, at least not alone. If he had to suffer, he would rather suffer _with_ someone. He wasn't a sadist, and he would probably apologize the whole time, but he would still feel better if there was someone with him facing the wrath and displeasure of their captain, who, he must admit, could be terrifying.

Seeing Bepo's obvious hesitation, Penguin sighed exaggeratedly. "Fine. We'll come with you."

Shachi rolled his eyes. "You just want to get a look of the girl, pervert."

"Who're ya calling a pervert?" Penguin shot back, scowling.

"Do you see any other perverts here?"

"Yeah. You."

The trio stopped in front of the infirmary, where their captain most likely was. Honestly, he practically _lived_ in there, and the only reason he had a room was probably because the infirmary needed to be sanitary. Didn't stop Law from falling asleep at his desk, though.

"You knock," Penguin whispered.

"No, _you_ ," Shachi retorted.

None of them wanted to disturb their captain for something so _trivial_.

"Captain won't ever do anything to you, so _you_ knock! You're the first mate!" Penguin and Shachi turned to Bepo.

"I'm sorry," the polar bear said, but he knocked on the infirmary door anyways. "Captain?"

"It's open," Law's muffled voice said, and Bepo opened the door cautiously.

Contrary to his expectations, Law was _not_ alone in the infirmary. A bored and frustrated April sat on one of the beds, swinging her legs, waiting for Law to finish whatever he was doing so he could pay her some attention. Sea devil knows, it's been too long since he'd solely focused on _her_.

"Captain, you know how the girl doesn't eat?" Bepo began, before pausing to shift his weight. "She can't eat when she's gagged…"

The infirmary was completely silent as Law and April digested the information.

" _Law_ ," April growled.

"I didn't gag her," Law sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "And I didn't think she couldn't take it off on her own."

He rose to his feet, walking briskly out the infirmary door, passing the trio without a word. He wasn't happy. That much was obvious. If Law didn't want to deal with the girl, they should just drop her off somewhere, but considering that they had stopped at and left one island already, Law either had plans for her, or had completely forgotten about her.

Bepo was willing to bet on the latter.

The four remaining in the infirmary shared a look and hurried after the Heart Pirates' captain. Penguin and Shachi were more than a little curious about the girl they had seen but a glimpse of one time, and April and Bepo were slightly worried. It was not a good idea to be more gentle towards females nowadays, especially not on the ocean. Women were often just as powerful as men, sometimes even more so. Underestimating them was dangerous.

Still, April and Bepo couldn't help their bias. Of course, Bepo's bias only lasted until the female tried to hurt his crewmates, but otherwise, he had a tendency to be nicer to women.

Catlike golden eyes watched the five approach her cell. Bepo shuddered, apprehension creeping over him. She watched them like a predator waiting for prey to enter her reach, and as a fellow predator, Bepo could sense that there was something wrong. The look in her eyes said that when she caught a prey, it belonged to _her_. She would never let it go.

"Captain," Bepo said hesitantly. "Maybe you shouldn't go into the cell…"

But it was too late. The captain had unlocked the cell and walked in. He was a cautious man, even when dealing with chained creatures. Therefore, his every nerve concentrated on the girl, making sure she didn't make any threatening moves.

She didn't. She lay completely still, the only unsettling thing about her being those overly watchful eyes. Law carefully reached out, untied the gag.

And the girl attacked.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you for favoriting and following, Beanifer!_

 _Edited August 1, 2016_

* * *

Law leapt back, eyes wide, but the girl was inhumanly fast. She was on him in half a second, throwing the captain to the floor and pinning him down. Law fought, but she was stronger than she looked. He felt his heart beat faster with dread and more than a little fear as fangs dipped towards his neck.

"Nngh," Law groaned, wincing in pain as the sharp fangs cut into bare flesh, and a raspy tongue lapped up the blood eagerly.

And _then_ his crew moved. Law almost felt irritation at their slow reaction, but it really wasn't that slow. Everything had happened in seconds, and it took them those precious few seconds to comprehend what just happened, and react to it. Bepo wrapped heavy paws around her waist and yanked.

Taking her tongue off Law's skin for a second, she turned her head and _hissed_ , and Bepo retreated in surprise. Even as Law felt her tongue return to his neck, licking up the blood that dripped out of his wound, he felt her fingers close even more tightly around his wrists in a bruising vice grip.

" _Get her off_ ," Law growled.

Bepo frowned. Those claws and fangs didn't look safe, and the girl was _fast_ for a half starved young female. Then again, Bepo had claws and fangs too, and he had thick fur on top of that. Their prisoner wouldn't be able to pierce him too easily. Therefore, with a loud screech, Bepo launched into the air and landed a flying kick on the girl creature's ribs. She flew off Law and lay still where she landed, completely unmoving. For a moment Bepo wondered if he had killed her, but then he realized that after she attacked his captain, he didn't really care.

With a hand pressed against the puncture wounds, Law scrambled out of the cell with as much dignity as he could muster. Bepo slammed the door shut behind him. Law scowled at the prisoner, but the scowl disappeared quickly, replaced by pure scientific curiosity.

He was _sure_ the girl had been fully human when he took her from Smoker's ship. Her eyes had been more green than golden, only a shade brighter than her hair, with normal rather than slit pupils. And she sure as hell didn't have claws. He couldn't be completely sure about the fangs—the gag built into her clothes hid her mouth quite well. Her ears had been normal too—not the finned ears she had now—and she didn't have scales under her eyes.

And then before his eyes, the nonhuman traits slowly faded, and within seconds the girl was human again. She sat up and blinked, large green eyes confused. Then she caught sight of the group on the other side of the bars, the drops of blood rolling down Law's neck, and her mouth formed an 'oh', her expression completely mortified. She didn't know exactly what happened, but she understood the gist of it. She had attacked the pirate captain.

Her mouth opened, closed, and she glanced around almost desperately, as if searching for something. Not seeing it, she stared at Law, her gaze imploring. Said man raised an eyebrow, curious as to what the human-creature would ask for. Scientific curiosity, of course.

Her mouth opened and closed again, before she gave up and mimicked writing. Right. Now he recalled that he hadn't spoken when on Smoker's ship—she had used her own pen and notepad. He probably needed to get her a set to communicate with her.

Should he add 'mute' to the list of observations?

Law didn't have to go far to get the pen and notepad—he kept several near the cells just in case he wanted to observe and take notes. He reached out to hand it over, but hesitated. He didn't need his hand mauled.

Seeing his frown, the girl shifted so both feet were in front of her, the bottom of her feet facing Law, and she raised her hands in the air. Law hesitated only a moment more—normal people wouldn't be able to move very fast from that position, but he still wasn't sure _what_ she was. Still, he reached through, dropped the writing utensils, and retrieved his hand quickly.

The girl waited a few seconds before slowly, _slowly_ crawling forward, eyes trained on Law. But this time she wasn't looking at him like he was prey, but rather like she was telling him that she wasn't going to harm him. Law remained skeptical, of course, as she had just mauled him moments ago. But he was on the other side of the bars this time, and had no intention of going back onto the same side as her.

Then she quickly grabbed the notepad, flipped to the first page—she took delight in the fact that it was a blank notepad—and quickly scrawled a few words before holding it up for the pirates to see.

'Sorry. Did I do that?'

"Yes," Law said drily. "Are you saying you don't remember?"

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded. 'Not clearly.'

"So you didn't attack because you wanted to," Law clarified.

She nodded. 'If I don't ingest any blood for a few days, I become like that. You were a source of blood. I'm sorry.'

"How many days, exactly?"

She frowned, thinking. 'It's still safe to come near me at three days. Over the next five days after that I start losing my mind, and the only thing I can think about is blood. It hurts. And then I attack anything that comes near. Sorry…'

Law frowned, cocking his head. He didn't know any creature like that. The girl could be a hybrid of human and some unknown species, an unknown species that could look like a human, or a manmade creature.

'That's for fresh blood from humans and similar creatures, by the way,' the girl wrote, and Law raised an eyebrow. 'Fresh blood from animals lasts me two days, blood that's been outside a body for over an hour lasts less than one day, and fresh blood from a devil fruit user lasts me five days.'

"And the amount you need?" Law asked.

'Not much, usually,' the girl admitted. 'But if you had come a few days later, I would have drained you dry.'

"Hmm," Law hummed thoughtfully.

Either they had to add humans to the menu, let her feed off crew members regularly, or they dumped her on the next island like they originally planned and have unleashed a vampire-like creature on an unwitting population of humans.

Law preferred the third option.

But then again…

"How much are you worth?"

She started, staring up at him with widened eyes. 'You're going to sell me?!'

Law grinned, showing a few too many teeth. "I haven't decided yet—sell or dissect. Maybe even both."

The girl glanced around uneasily. 'Smoker will kill you.'

Law shrugged. "Pirates and marines. They will try to kill me anyways."

'I can cook?' The girl offered.

"I would rather not be poisoned, thank you," Law said mildly.

'I'm a _good_ cook!' Then she paused, frowned, stared at each one of the Heart Pirates standing in front of her. 'The chances of what I make poisoning you is much lower than the chances of you being poisoned from your current food.'

Two people and a bear immediately averted their eyes, the innocent expressions on their faces completely declaring their guilt. Only Law and April were still able to meet the prisoner's eyes—they never cooked. And there was a _reason_ they never cooked, other than 'never let a doctor near your kitchen, especially one that enjoys dissecting and experimenting with things, including but not limited to poisonous creatures, poisonous substances, and bacteria'.

"And who do you expect to become _your_ food?"

The girl blinked once, surprised at the question. Then she blinked again, obviously not having thought about it. Smoker had been her food source, but since he was no longer around… And a normal person would be anemic if she took blood from them every day. The only choices were Law, or rotating between crew members.

Frankly she preferred the former—she really didn't need any more blood transmitted diseases.

Therefore, she smiled sweetly up at the pirate captain, looking as innocent and harmless as possible, large doe eyes guileless. Law did not look amused. He didn't look very convinced either, especially since he could still feel the puncture wounds throbbing in his neck.

"Law, I really think it wouldn't hurt to let her cook," April said hesitantly. "She's going to stay with us for a while anyways."

"It's not like she can cook any worse than the rest of us," Penguin added.

"But then again, attacking the captain was unforgiveable," Shachi finished.

The girl's gaze lowered to the floor, her teeth chewing at her lower lip. She felt bad about it. She really did. But it wasn't like she _wanted_ to attack him like that. He had just smelled so _good_. A side effect of the devil fruit that wasn't well known.

She glanced up, not nearly high enough to meet anyone's eyes, and pointed to Law. Then she pointed at her chest. The message was clear. Law could kill her whenever he wanted, so as long as she got enough blood, she wasn't particularly dangerous.

It wasn't exactly a lie.

"Hmm," Law hummed, smirking darkly. "I would still prefer to dissect you. We can find another cook."

"Law, you can't do that to an innocent girl!" April frowned.

"If you haven't noticed," Law said drily. "Innocent girls do not sprout scales and claws and fangs, and do not go crazy and attack people."

"Still, the girl—" April paused, turned to the girl, and asked an important question that none of them had even thought to ask. "What is your name?"

'You can call me Lor.'

" _The hostage_ ," Law said clearly, emphasizing the words, "Will not leave the cell. It is a danger to the crew."

" _Lor_ ," April argued back, "Is not an _it_. Just look at her! Does she look like a wild creature to you?"

The Heart Pirates stared at the girl in the cell. She stared back.

"Yes," they deadpanned.

'You have a walking, talking _polar bear_ on your crew. Why am _I_ the wild creature?' Lor pouted.

"If you think _it_ is safe, then stick your hand through the bars," Law said.

April hesitated.

"Well?" Law demanded.

April scowled. Stupid men. She would show them. With one fluid motion, she stuck her hand through the bars.


	4. Chapter 4

Law was searching the sub for his noble hostage. A light scowl was on his face—they took her out of the cell to cook three times a day. They were supposed to put her back in. Yet he could almost never find the girl where she was supposed to be anymore.

"Yeah. We're lucky captain kidnapped a girl trained as a housewife instead of a whore," Penguin said.

Law froze in the doorway, before ducking back out and listening. A housewife? What the hell was a housewife doing on a marine ship? Besides, if the marines had been escorting someone, they would not have put her with _Smoker_ , who had the strange obsession with hunting down pirates that had evaded him before.

Smoker wouldn't have cared so much for her either.

"I haven't had food this good for so long. Your cooking sucks," Shachi said.

" _My_ cooking sucks?! You burn water!" Penguin retorted.

Kuzuri laughed.

"And you shouldn't laugh. You could somehow turn everything into sour burned mush!" Shachi grouched.

Kuzuri stopped laughing, affronted. "Hey! At least I don't turn everything into inedible leather like Bepo!"

"I'm sorry."

"Well, since she's here, everything's fine, right? If captain will make her crew, we'll never have to cook again. Our food is edible and we can survive off of it, as long as captain never cooks," Penguin sighed.

Law glared. What was _that_ supposed to mean? Sure, his cooking gave him food poisoning, but at least he was still alive!

"I can't believe it burned a hole through the pot," Shachi snickered.

"I can't believe it burned a hole in the _floor_ after only thirty seconds! Man, Nar was _pissed_!" Kuzuri laughed.

Law growled. Hearing the sound, the four playing poker froze.

"C-captain!" Penguin yelped, terror etched on his face.

"Choose. Either tell me more about my hostage, or switch personalities with the next fish I see swim by my sub," Law growled.

"Captain, you could just ask her," Bepo cut in timidly, only to yelp an apology when his glare turned to the bear.

"What about being a housewife?" Law asked.

"She's a noble, and engaged," Kuzuri said with a shrug, the other three confirming with nods. "Noble females have to learn how to be a wife. Kinda stupid, since nobles have maids and all, but it's 'tradition'. Besides, when has anyone ever seen a noble do any work, unless they want to?"

"She's engaged to Hakuryou-ya?" Law asked, curious. If so, it would explain why the marine was so pissed off with Law kidnapping her.

"Don't know. Could be, since she said she was engaged to a marine," Shachi answered, sending Bepo a troubled look. The bear spent the most time with her—perhaps she had told him something?

"I don't think she wants to get married," Bepo said.

"Well, she is too young to be married. She's just turned eighteen. If she had married before that it would be against the law," Shachi cut in.

"Not exactly," Kuzuri admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Noble girls are engaged early, and can be married off when they turn sixteen. And the husbands their parents choose—or actually their fathers choose—can be anywhere from sixteen to sixty years old."

"That's sick!" Penguin made a disgusted face.

Kuzuri only shrugged. "She could either dislike the idea of getting married, dislike her fiancé, or both."

"She seems to like Smoker, though. So maybe it's just that she doesn't want to get married," Bepo commented.

After that, Law tuned them out. Six years younger than himself… the captain mused. He was already 24 with no interest in marriage. Hell, he didn't have any romantic interest in women. Briefly he shoved the fact that he had a girlfriend living on his sub to the back of his mind. A girl six years younger would probably have even less interest in marriage than he did. But now that he knew she was a noble, she held one more purpose. He could still ransom her off to her family. The scales in his mind began to balance themselves.

Cook or ransom?

The answer changed every few moments. One moment he eats her cooking and wants to keep her, the next she infuriates him and she wants to exchange her for money. Despite eating her cooking three times a day, he was still leaning towards ransoming her off.

What? He was a pirate, he liked money, the girl pissed him off.

But she could cook.

"Bepo," he said, interrupting the four men. Well, three men and a bear.

"Yes?"

"Where's the hostage?"

"You should use her name, captain. She won't ever like you if you don't," Bepo commented.

"Bepo…" Law said warningly.

"I'm sorry. With Skua and April."

Law sighed and moved towards his record-keeper's room. It was silent inside. For a moment he wondered if his hostage had killed them, since April never stayed quiet for long, but he quickly dismissed the idea. She didn't look like a killer, and didn't act like one either. He would be surprised if she didn't run at the first sign of a battle.

For a moment he felt like he had forgotten something, but dug a hole next to where he buried the small voice, and dumped the nagging feeling in there.

Law knocked on the door, and opened it without waiting for a reply. The three looked up. He froze, shocked. He had never expected to see something like that. They were _reading_. Women don't read. None of his past flings read, and April sure as hell didn't read. But right now _both_ Lor and April had their noses in past record logs.

"Law?" April asked, putting the book down.

"What are you doing?" He asked the girls on the floor.

"Reading," Lor replied.

"Eh?" He blinked. He could see that much.

"Reading. The act of opening a book, which is a piece of work on pages filled with writing and bound together, and comprehending what the words mean," she deadpanned.

Law scowled. Ransom. "I know what reading means," he hissed through clenched teeth.

The infuriating girl only shrugged and started to ignore him, attention back on the record log. It only pissed him off more. He was definitely going to ransom her the moment he found out who her family was. He just hoped they had the amount of money he would ask. He needed compensation for having to deal with her for this long.

"Oi, hostage," Law growled, just for the sake of giving her orders and irritating her. Not that she ever reacted—damn that expressionless face—but that didn't mean he couldn't try. "Go back to your cell."

"Law! You're being rude!" April scolded.

He shot her a glare and she shut up, a hurt look in her eyes. But he didn't have time to do anything about it. The girl on the floor answered him. Of course, it wasn't something he wanted to hear.

"I don't take orders from anyone," she said, not paying him an ounce of attention. The answer was practically a reflex.

Plan backfired. Law yanked her to him by the hood and slammed her against the wall. "You are my hostage. I can kill you, ransom you, or even keep you as a pet. And you can do nothing about it," Law growled in her face.

"You really think so?" She asked, a small smirk on her lips. Law's glare darkened. He finally got his first reaction from her aside from the smile before, and it wasn't one he wanted. "You really have no idea who I am, do you. Well, I suppose you wouldn't, considering… But you should watch yourself, Trafalgar. I'm not someone you can cross without consequences." She twisted out of his grasp, the infuriating smirk still on her lips. "You don't want to make me your enemy."

He watched her leave, seething. He was once again reminded why he kept a distance from her. The balance scales in his mind tipped further towards ransoming her. Or even plain out killing her; he had her heart, after all. Or perhaps throwing her against the wall and then… He bit down on the inside of his cheek, hard, to prevent his mind from going in that direction and finishing the sentence. He had a girlfriend. A nice one. And he had no interest in that infuriating noble little spoiled princess. They fought all the time. He hated the noble brat; if he didn't ransom her, he would throw her against the wall and kill her.

He could always find a new cook.


	5. Chapter 5

"You should give her heart back."

Law stared blankly at his girlfriend. Where did that come from, all of a sudden? And when the hell did his girlfriend start thinking she could give him orders? Well, she usually did, but she never really expected him to listen.

"No," he stated.

"Law!" April whined.

"Whether she has her heart or not has nothing to do with you," Law told her firmly.

Someone knocked at the door. It opened, a green head peeking in. Speaking of the devil…

"I'll leave," April said, knowing the two will start fighting. She didn't want to be there when that happened.

"Trafalgar, we need to skip the next island," she said the moment she closed the door behind her.

Law raised his eyebrow. "No."

"There are marines there."

"We know how to deal with marines," Law said, waving his hand as dismissal.

Lor scowled, a rare show of emotions. Law paid her no heed. In the few weeks she had spent with the crew, she had assimilated herself, and was friendly with the entire crew except for himself. He assumed it was the food. But still, he was the captain, and she was a hostage on his sub. He didn't trust her.

"There's a book I want at the island," Law continued, seeing that the girl hadn't left.

"What book?" She asked. He spat out a title that had her head reeling. "Come again?"

He repeated the title slowly, adding the authors. She nodded slowly, clearly not understanding a single word, and turned and left.

The next morning he woke to find his hands cuffed to his bedpost with _seastone cuffs_ and a gag in his mouth. He glared at the girl. This was what he got for letting her wander his ship freely.

"You're awake," she said, noticing his glare. "We've changed course. We're heading for the next island, on orders from the captain."

"Mnph mrfff grfuf!" Law snarled through the gag.

"I know you're the captain of the sub, Trafalgar," she told him, spinning his chair around. "I just told them you were reading and did not want to be disturbed, and wanted the course changed. April won't disturb you either."

His face turned red with fury.

"We'll arrive at the island tomorrow," she informed him, and promptly left the room.

His anger only grew when he saw that the box that had held her heart was now empty. The organ was once again beating in her chest.

Law felt it when the sub docked. He tugged weakly at the cuffs, still glaring at the ceiling, but of course, it was pointless. He didn't know how the spoiled brat managed to tie him up like he was the _submissive_ in a _bondage_ game, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let her do anything to his crew. And knowing nobles, she was going to turn them in to the marines. He tugged again, and groaned. He wasn't going to let her do anything to his crew… But he sure as hell had no idea how he could stop her.

"Shachi, captain said to get supplies. I'll go with Bepo to get food. He said you guys would know what medical and mechanical supplies you need, right?" Lor asked.

"Yeah." The crew didn't question her. What she told them sounded exactly like what the captain would do. Besides, he had her heart. What harm could she do?

"Alright. Bye," she said, as she exited the sub with the polar bear. They strolled around the island, gathering all the food supplies they needed. And when the list was complete, she handed the things to Bepo. "I want to walk around for a bit longer. After you drop the things off, you should go check in on the captain. The key is on his desk," she told the bear.

"Okay. Bye," Bepo said before ambling back to the sub.

Lor stretched. Now. Now that she was free, what should she do? She started by looking for someplace she could spend the night.

The Heart Pirates' captain, on the other hand, was nowhere nearly as relaxed.

"Captain?!" Bepo exclaimed, rushing to ungag the man.

A string of curses left the livid man's lips.

"Key, key, key!" Bepo said frantically, "Oh yeah! She said the table…"

The moment the seastone was off Law's wrists, he took a moment to regain his strength before letting another stream of curses exit his lips. Bepo apologized.

"Where is she!" Law growled.

"She's taking a walk. We got the food supplies, so—"

"She's escaping!" Law half yelled.

"I'm sorry!"

Looking at his frightened first mate, Law forced himself to calm down.

"But you have her heart—"

"She took it back," Law said, forcing his tone to stay calm. "There is nothing stopping her from leaving the sub. And nothing stopping her from going back to the marines and telling them everything."

"She wouldn't do that!" Bepo cried.

Law gave him a look that made the bear wince. Wordlessly he stomped out, grabbing his nodachi on the way out.

" _Five_ admirals?! Seriously? No wonder they caught the Don Pirates and the Arrow Pirates," Kuzuri yelled.

The noise stopped Law in his tracks as he passed the dining room, where his crew was playing poker. Again. The Don and Arrow pirates were caught? That was interesting. They had been expected to become Supernova crews, with their quickly rising bounties.

"Well, I don't know what stopped the captain from going to that island, but I'm glad we skipped it," Shachi shrugged.

"Isn't it because he ordered the book he wanted by mail?" Penguin suggested, looking at the package on the table.

That got Law's attention. Brows furrowed, he stormed in.

"Oh, captain. Package. And the newspaper came too," Shachi announced, waving a box.

Still frowning, but with curiosity now mixed with anger, he tore it open. _'Lor, I got the book. Since you asked me to buy it and send it over, I suppose Trafalgar was gonna stop here just for this book. Well, don't. I don't give a damn if Trafalgar and his crew get their asses captured, but you don't deserve that. Skip this island, if you haven't already. Be careful. He isn't the Surgeon of Death for nothing. Love, Smoker.'_ What. The. Hell. He felt a little more pissed after reading the note, but for new reasons. So she kept them from getting their asses kicked and thrown into Impel Down. She also got him the book he wanted. She should have just told him.

A voice at the back of the mind said, very sardonically, that she did. He just didn't listen. Law felt an extra tinge of annoyance. The voice had unburied itself and returned like a horde of cockroaches.

So now she'd gone and tied him up to his bed with seastone, manipulated his crew, run away from him, saved his and his crew's necks, gotten him the book he wanted, contacted a _marine_ with said marine sending a note back saying he loved her. He was pissed.

"Bepo! Track her scent!" He ordered.

"Aye," Bepo replied. And as they traced her through the crowds, Bepo asked timidly, "Are you going to kill her?"

"I'm going to slice her into pieces," he growled very very calmly.

"I'm sorry." And Bepo led on.

But when Law caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye, and in the opposite direction, he said, once again very calmly, "Bepo, are you leading me away from her?"

"Eep! I'm sorry!" Bepo's ears flattened, the bear looking absolutely crestfallen.

And a very familiar head of green appeared over the bear's shoulder, slender arms wrapping around his neck.

"Don't bully Bepo," Lor said, cuddling into the bear.

"Lor! Run! Captain's going to—"

"Bepo," Law warned. The bear shut up, apologizing. "If you're done with your walk, we're going back to the sub. We've already gotten all the supplies," Law ordered.

"I don't take orders," she shot back. "Not from family, not from my former superiors, not from you."

Law scowled at her. She stared defiantly back, chin in the air.

"You're my cook," he said softly, dangerously. "My crew obeys my orders."

"I'm not your crew," she replied.

"No. But you are my hostage. And as long as you are cooking for my crew, I am your captain."

Anger flashed through her eyes, "You are not my captain. You will never be my captain."

This time his eyes flashed.

Hurriedly, Bepo interrupted, "Lor, won't you come back? We won't survive if you don't cook for us."

"Trafalgar can find you a cook," Lor replied, not looking at the bear.

"I already did. She's just being a stubborn ass," he shot back.

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, Bepo interrupted, saying pitifully, "Please?"

He crouched down on all fours next to Law, large teary eyes staring up at her. The words caught in her throat, her jaw hanging open speechlessly. Law saw an array of emotions play over her face in the span of seconds. Refusal, pity, stubbornness. She sighed and glomped the bear, rubbing his ears the way he liked it.

"Sorry little one. But I will not join another crew," she murmured, and walked away.

" _Room!_ " Law shot forward and slashed at her back, cutting a square hole into her.

She yelped, "What the—"

The pain hit her. She fell to her knees, gasping, and glared up at Law. He smirked down at her, satisfied with her reaction. In his hand, he once again held her beating heart.

"You _will_ return to the sub and you _will_ be the crew's cook until I decide what to do with you," he said softly, dangerously.

"I don't take orders!" She snapped back, then doubled over in pain as he squeezed her heart. "Fine!"

He released the pressure. For a moment he felt a twinge of guilt, seeing her in pain and knowing he was the cause, but shoved that away. He was getting into the habit of doing nasty things to the little voices and feelings in his head. It might not be a good idea, but when dealing with her, he didn't really care. A tiny voice said he did… but then he incinerated _that_.

"Law!" April gasped when the trio finally returned. She had been worried—Law had stormed off with a look that said he would kill something. She just hoped he hadn't massacred the town.

Without a word, he passed her and locked himself in his room.


	6. Chapter 6

"So you're now the official cook?" April squealed, holding Lor's hands, their fingers interlocked. "That's _great!_ "

Lor stared blankly at the other girl. Yes. Great. So great that she could puke.

"We have to get you your own room! You can't stay in that dirty cell. Who knows what diseases you could get from there!" April continued.

Still keeping a death grip on Lor's hands, April half dragged the younger girl through the sub's halls before bursting into Law's room.

"Law! Lor needs a room!" April yelled, startling the captain.

He bit back a curse as a line of blood formed on the back of his hand, the scalpel he had been sharpening cutting him when he had been surprised. He leveled a glare at his girlfriend.

"Oops. I'm sorry," she said sheepishly.

Law could only sigh. April took the scalpel out of his hand and maneuvered herself into his lap, nuzzling his neck. Lor turned away from the overly sugary scene.

"Azarashi!" Law barked. The quartermaster came running. "Find our cook a room."

"Sure… Ummm… Anything you specifically want?" Rashi asked.

"A bathroom would be nice. I don't want anyone walking in when I'm showering," she replied, walking away with the man.

"See you later, Lor!" April smiled, waving from her spot on Law's lap.

The green haired girl only nodded back before turning her attention to the quartermaster.

"Uhh…" the man glanced back at the captain. Lor cocked her head at Rashi. "The only other room with a private bathroom is across the hall from captain's room. I'm not sure if you want to stay so close to him…."

"Oh. It's fine, isn't it? It's not like we keep the same hours," she commented.

Rashi sighed with relief. "That's true."

They arrived at the room, Rashi unlocking the door with a key, which he handed to her. She immediately sneezed. She blinked at the layer of dust that covered everything. She turned to stare blankly at Rashi.

He squeaked. "I'm sorry!"

She cracked a small smile. "You sound like Bepo."

"I'm sorry!"

Lor shook her head, "Where are the cleaning supplies and clean sheets, towels, etc?"

He led her to the supply closet and the linen/towel closet. "Will you be alright? I can send someone to help…"

"I'm fine, thanks," she thanked him politely before setting to work.

He only sent her a worried look before walking away. A few moments later, footsteps returned, but she didn't bother turning to look at who it was. They would either make their purpose known or leave.

"My, my. The noble's brat actually cleaning," Kuzuri teased from the doorway.

"Why wouldn't I? This place is filthy, and I'm the one who's going to live in here," she said, glancing back at him.

He shook his head in mock surprise, "I don't know. Don't noble girls sit and look pretty?"

"So you think I'm pretty?"

"Ravishing," he replied with a teasing grin.

And stiffened when he felt someone staring holes into his back. He turned to see his captain staring at him with a raised brow. Behind his captain's tall form Kuzuri saw April sitting on the edge of the bed, pouting.

"If you have so much free time, you should help her before she raises hell about breaking a nail," Law commented, knowing how high maintenance and fussy the female race was.

"Yes, captain!"

"My, my," Lor mocked as he picked up a mop. "Cleaning? I thought noble men were supposed to sit and be useless while their wives and mothers did all the work."

He sent her a dirty look, and she sent a smirk in reply. It took the two of them two hours to fully clean the room and bathroom to her satisfaction, including airing and dusting the mattress, and making up the bed. Lor groaned.

"I'm taking a shower," she told the navigator. "Enter the bathroom and die."

He held up a hand from where he lay on the floor. She took that as a yes. But he was shocked when she came out clad only in a towel.

"W-w-w-wha?!"

She only stared at him blankly. "I seem to be suffering from a severe clothing deficiency."

"O-oh," he said, face beet red, eyes trying to look anywhere but at her.

She opened the room door.

"Wait! You can't go out there looking like that!" Kuzuri protested, reaching out a hand to drag her back in, but froze, not knowing where to grab.

She simply ignored him and walked across the hall to knock on the door of the Surgeon of Death. The door opened, and grey eyes took in her dress, or lack of.

He smirked, "If you wanted to sleep with me that badly, you could have just asked. But knocking on my door half naked works too."

But to his disappointment, she didn't blush or react in any way. He altered his mental description of her—spoiled noble bratling who thinks she's a princess, and now possibly 'slut' on top of that.

"I need clothes. Can I borrow some until I can get my own?"

Law stepped back, moving to his closet and removing a few items of clothing that could possibly fit her.

It was déjà vu. She wished she could go back to when almost the exact scene had happened before. Those years were the happiest of her life, but she had to admit, their meeting may not have been the best…

 _She had been wandering around the abandoned castle in search for supplies when a door opened and a male figure stepped out._

 _"_ _I don't taste good," she said immediately, drawing a raised eyebrow from a familiar looking figure. "And I'm not very hygienic either, considering that the only bath I've taken for days is from seawater."_

 _"_ _I am not going to eat you, but I may slay you depending on why you are in my home," the older man commented dryly._

 _"_ _I'm out of supplies, and this was the place I landed," she replied, before cocking her head. "Do you mind if I used your shower and borrowed some clothes? I feel filthy, and I can pay you back."_

 _Still stunned from the unafraid—and bold—child invading his home, he nodded towards the room he just exited. "The bathroom's in there. The clean towels are on the shelves. Don't touch my things."_

 _"_ _Yes sir."_

 _He blinked as his bedroom door shut behind him and the sound of a shower started a few minutes later. He leaned against the wall, deeming it proper to wait for the child to come out. She did so, not long after, but wearing nothing but the towel around her body. The swordsman was not a man easily surprised, but for the second time that day, his brows shot up._

 _"_ _Have you no shame, child?"_

 _"_ _I think I forgot to pack it," she said, face and voice still devoid of expression. "I probably left it in my drawer along with my dignity and half my pride."_

 _If possible, the swordsman's brows shot higher. He wanted to knock his head against the wall. He settled for sighing and re-entering his room to grab one of his shirts. She wriggled into it right in front of him before pulling the towel off from underneath, and wrapping it around her neck to keep her wet hair from soaking the shirt. It was overly large, hanging off her frame and reaching her knees, but she didn't seem to mind._

 _"_ _You can keep the shirt. I don't need it," the man said._

 _"_ _So I can see," she said, glancing pointedly towards his shirtless state under the long jacket._

The clothes landed on her face, drawing her back to reality.

"Thanks." She walked in, and turning her back to him, she started getting dressed, pulling the pants up under the short towel.

"Go back to your room to change," Law barked at her.

"Kuzuri's in my room," she said.

He stiffened. "So you're just going to change in front of me?" He demanded, twitching.

"You're a doctor. You've seen the female anatomy before in an entirely non-sexual way," she replied, trying to zip and button the too-large pants, but the towel was in the way. So she simply dropped it.

Law's breath hitched. He may have to rewrite his description of her. Because there was no way a spoiled little princess would have scars like that on her back. With the pants buttoned and trying to fall off, she started to put the shirt on, only for Trafalgar's fingers to stop the back of the shirt from coming down. She turned her head, raising an eyebrow at him. He ignored her. His free hand moved her hair so he had a clearer view, before moving to trace over the scars. Most were not new. Almost ten years old. But some were no less than a year old. Her skin shivered under his touch, drawing his mind back. But he still didn't release the shirt.

"What are these?"

"Scars," she said.

He made a noise of irritation, "I know they are scars. From what?"

"You're the doctor. You tell me," she shot back.

"Whipping. But _why_ is what I want to know," Law almost rolled his eyes.

The girl shrugged, tugging the shirt out of his hand and allowing it to tumble down her back, fully covering her down to mid-thigh. "Just punishments for disobedience, impertinence, disrespect of higher ups, and the inability to follow even the simplest of orders."

"What kind of person does that to a child?" Law muttered, slightly pissed.

"Interesting to hear that from the Surgeon of Death," she said.

"I may have a reputation for being cruel and sadistic, but I do not torture children. Most of those scars are around ten years old. Since you are eighteen now, those were inflicted when you were a child."

"Punishments were the same for everyone. They don't care about age. My family didn't, and my teachers sure didn't," she told him, then murmured in a voice he didn't think he was supposed to hear, "Well, Smoker cared, but he never really had a say."

He felt a twinge of irritation at the mention of the marine, but dismissed it. Well. There went his option of ransoming her to her family. Technically he could still exchange her for money, but she was now crew, and he was not inclined to send the girl back to a place that would do something even he wouldn't do.

_A/N: More of Lor's past.

Anyone can guess who the swordsman in the flashback was?


	7. Chapter 7

Guest: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like the story. Well, Law thinks she's Smoker's whore. You'll find out who and what she is later, but her relationship with Smoker may be a little... disturbing. Just a warning and foreshadowing.

"What are we doing here?" Lor asked, looking around Sabaody Archipelago as they walked through the streets.

"We're taking a look at the Auction," Trafalgar told her. "But first you're getting new clothes."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. He had been a lot nicer since the bedroom incident. She couldn't call it _nice_ per se, with him being the twisted, sadistic, cruel bastard he was, but nicer. As in no more snapping at her for the most pointless of reasons.

But he still wouldn't address her by name.

Well, it was fair, since she never addressed him by anything except 'Trafalgar'.

"Kuzuri, Shachi, accompany our cook to buy new clothes," Law ordered, placing a bag of belli in the navigator's hands.

"Eeh? I have to go shopping?" Kuzuri whined.

"Wait, Law, I want to go with her!" April whined.

"No. Kuzuri and Shachi will go with her."

"Why do we both have to go?" Shachi followed.

"To carry what she buys," Law said, knowing that women loved to shop, and practically bought everything in sight.

"But I wanna go shopping!" April pouted.

"You have enough stuff!" Law sighed, exasperated.

"But you've already seen all my clothes!"

"Your things take up _two_ storage rooms, April," Law told her, annoyed.

She opened her mouth to protest, but the look in Law's eyes said he was done with the topic. She clamped her jaw shut, but a pout remained on her lips.

Looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, Law found April the perfect example of why neither crew member wanted to go shopping with the green haired girl. Females loved to shop, and if the man they were with didn't buy what they wanted, they whine and beg and use any method possible to get what they want. The short length of all his past attempts at relationships proved it. No longer interested in women—they're all the same—he turned his full attention onto piracy and medical knowledge. April was only tolerable because he didn't let her off the sub to shop.

And the sex was good.

"Let's go," the cook took the two by their sleeves and eagerly dragged them off, only confirming Law's point about women and shopping.

He sighed, belis flying away in his mind. Maybe he should have halved the money he gave them.

"Oi, what's the rush?" Kuzuri demanded.

"I'm walking around in Trafalgar's clothes like I just rolled out of his bed," she deadpanned.

Only then did the two males notice all the stares their cook was getting. Disapproving, disgusted stares from the women, and disapproving, leering stares from the men. They unconsciously started walking closer to her, as if to shield her from the stares.

"Here we go," she muttered when she saw a decent looking shop, and pulled the sleeves of the two men to get them to stop charging forward and enter the shop.

She glanced around before starting to shuffle through racks.

"Does Trafalgar have any rules about clothes?" She asked.

"No, not really. We have to wear these suits, but since there's nothing your size, you need normal clothes," Shachi told her.

She nodded absently and continued looking until she found something. She grabbed three pairs of white shorts, and three identical black tops that almost seemed like dresses, if not for the bottom being only four strips of cloth that hid nothing past her waist. She headed into the changing room to try on the outfit. They fit perfectly, and she quite liked the top. It was a sleeveless piece that buttoned up to the collar and hide skin, and was wind and waterproof. She also got three pairs of matching arm warmers and some socks. All high quality material, durable. She changed back into Trafalgar's clothes.

"Done?" Kuzuri asked, surprised at the speed.

"Not quite. I need shoes too. But before that…" She gestured, and the two men paled.

"No. No, no, no. You go. Alone."

She shrugged and headed into the underwear section. Two bras and five pairs of underpants in her hand, she went back to the relieved men.

"That will be 20700 belli's," the cashier said.

The two men blinked in surprise, handing over the money.

"Shoes next," Lor said, and the two men followed her obediently.

"Ummm… Lor-chan, was that enough?" Shachi asked hesitantly.

"Yes, why?" Lor blinked back at him.

Shachi and Kuzuri shared a look. "Nothing."

"Okay."

The stop at the shoe store was even faster. She took a look at a pair of thigh high white boots with a strip of amber running down the front, tested the quality and the feel, and paid 5000 beli. They were done shopping, and didn't even spend 26000 beli. They only spent about a quarter of the amount their captain had expected them to need.

"Please tell me the rest isn't for jewelry and makeup," Shachi whispered in Kuzuri's ear.

Kuzuri nodded sadly. "It probably is."

And it was then that she remembered something, and dragged them into another clothing shop.

"I forgot to get pajamas," she informed them.

"Where are we going after this?" Shachi dared to ask.

Lor looked at him blankly. "To meet up with Trafalgar."

"You mean you're done?" Kuzuri said in disbelief. "No bags, no makeup, no jewelry, no designer clothes?"

Lor raised an eyebrow at him. "What do I need all that crap for? You can go back if you want. Just leave me 1000 beli's for this," she said.

"You go back first," Kuzuri told Shachi. "At least let captain know that she didn't spend all the money so he can stop worrying."

Shachi nodded, and leaving 1000 beli behind, headed to the meeting point. She grabbed a white dress off the racks after checking the price, and went into the changing room to try it on. It was short, but that was to be expected. What mattered was whether it was comfortable—which it was—because it would be her pajamas. And she was reaching for Trafalgar's hoodie when the floor fell out from under her. The startled girl disappeared with nothing but a yelp.

"What was that?" Kuzuri asked, brows furrowed. He knocked on the dressing room door. "Lor? You in there?"

Silence.

"Lor?"

He knocked harder. Something clicked and the door swung open. Lor was gone. But their captain's hoodie and pants were still hanging there.

"Fuck," Kuzuri breathed, eyes wide with panic. "She's gone." Then he groaned, knowing exactly what happened. "Captain's gonna kill me when he sees Lor being sold on stage."

She had a rather soft landing. The room was full of cages filled with… She recoiled in disgust. Men and women. Were they going to be sold? She began to look around, searching for keys, for an exit, anything. But there was nothing.

"No use searching, girl," a large man told her. "There's no way out."

"What is this place?" She asked, face still expressionless.

She just needed to get a grasp of the situation. She could stay calm. Easy. If only her heart wasn't racing like that. For a brief moment, she wondered if Trafalgar would know something was wrong when her heart raced in his box. But he probably wouldn't, she concluded. The man had taken to keeping the box near him all the time after she had stolen it back once, but he never opened it. Never.

"The Human Auction," an old man with silver hair said.

She glanced at him. Then her eyes doubled back to stare at him.

"What in the world are you doing getting sold here?" She asked.

The Dark King's brows rose, a grin forming on his lips. "So you know who and what I am."

She nodded.

"Well, I have my reasons," he said with a wave of his hand.

She nodded again, eyes roaming once more. He didn't look like he wanted to escape, so she'll have to leave herself. Her eyes paused on a giant glass bowl filled with water. She moved closer. It wasn't empty like she had thought, but rather a mermaid lay at the bottom, struck with despair. Reaching up to the brim, Lor heaved herself up and peered inside.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," the mermaid said timidly.

"I can't believe they managed to capture a mermaid," Lor said, cocking her head.

"I'm Camie."

"Lorelei. Call me Lor."

"Ey, get down from there!" A man's gruff voice yelled.

Startled, Lor fell into the bowl with a splash and a yelp.

"Don't damage the merchandise!" Another man yelled back.

Grumbling, the man that entered took a stepladder to the top of the fishbowl and grabbed Lor's hair, yanking her up. Glaring, she bit him. He cursed and pushed her head underwater again, this time reaching in to attach the explosive collar around her neck. She fought, this time for air, but he wasn't letting her up. He smirked down at her, enjoying her struggles.

"Hey, you shouldn't treat ladies like that," Rayleigh warned.

"Shut up, old man," the slave trader barked back.

Lor's lungs felt like they were going to burst, and being submerged in water didn't help. Transform. _Transform!_ She willed her body to obey, and like a wave of relief, her legs disappeared and a fish tail replaced it, and she could suddenly breathe underwater. The man holding her head down stared at her in stunned silence. Then his grin broadened.

"Hey, Disco! We got ourselves another mermaid!"

"What?!" The other men in the auction came running in.

Lor had fallen to the bottom of the tank like the hammer she was, the worried Camie placing her head in her lap and stroking the green hair. In siren form Lor could breathe underwater, but she couldn't swim, and she was still weak as a newborn chick. She could only wait to get sold, and once she was sure her neck wouldn't explode, she could escape from the person who was unlucky enough to buy her.

Then she was free…

Oh shit. Trafalgar still had her heart.

She groaned, turning her face into Camie's lap, or wherever a mermaid's lap was. She would have to return to that sadistic pirate captain, if only to get her heart back.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I haven't watched One Piece up to this part yet, so if there's something not accurate, I apologize.

Kuzuri was running. He had pummeled the shit out of the store employees to try to get information, any information at all, about where the hell their cook was. 'The Auction' wasn't a very good answer, so he just knocked them around a bit more, just for the sake of it. And to relieve some of the stress from imagining what captain would do to him later.

Law liked Lor. At least he was attracted to her. Kuzuri would bet on that, even if those two seemed to hate each other. After all, there was only a fine line between love and hate, right? Especially since the captain would glare whenever she talked about or even talked to another male. The Surgeon of Death probably didn't even realize it. But he would still tear Kuzuri apart when he found out the navigator had lost the girl.

It may have been better if Law had found out from Kuzuri, but unfortunately for the navigator, the auction reached its climax before the man met up with the captain.

"And finally, a wonderful treat. Here we have two mermaids for sale! Who wouldn't want to boast of having mermaids in their home?"

Law was only half listening. Shachi had returned, with the pleasant surprise of almost all the money being returned to him and the knowledge that the girl was done shopping. He didn't even notice that April was still pouting, sitting as far from him as possible. It was uncharacteristic, considering that the girl clung to him whenever she could, trying to draw his attention. This was a new tactic, the girl hoping that giving Law space would make him notice her more, but the plan backfired. Out of sight, out of mind.

Law was paying no attention to his girlfriend and a little attention to the auction, but most of his brainpower was concentrated on his navigator and cook. They still hadn't returned—what the hell was taking so long? And why the hell had Kuzuri and the cook sent Shachi back? They couldn't possibly have wanted to be alone… They could be taking so long because they were… Something within him bubbled, and he found his fists clenched. When they returned to the sub he would have to enforce a 'no relationships' rule.

Conveniently, he forgot April's existence.

The curtain opened, and Law wasn't allowed to finish the train of thought regarding his navigator and cook—not that he wanted to. Law's eyes widened with shock, but it quickly turned to fury. He burst to his feet.

"What. The. Fuck." He swore, a rare occurrence in the normally-calm captain.

His shocked crew understood. Inside the tank, along with Camie the mermaid, was their cook.

"Oh my god… Lor!" April gasped.

"500 million! For each mermaid!" A voice yelled before the announcer could start, as he had been startled by Law's outburst.

"Any other bids? Anyone? Time is up, sold!" Disco shouted, getting past his shock.

Law wasn't even listening. His fists and jaw were clenched so tightly that he felt like something would pop. He did _not_ like his cook lying in the bottom of the tank with her eyes closed and shallow breathing. He did _not_ like his cook being kidnapped. And he sure as hell did _not_ like his cook being sold like a piece of furniture! He briefly shoved away the question of why the hell his cook was a mermaid.

That was when Straw Hat burst in.

"Ah! Camie!" Luffy grinned. "There you are! Just wait a moment. I'll come save you!"

The mermaid's look of despair turned into hope and joy. Law smirked. Perfect. Straw Hat could save his mermaid, and Law could save his. But before he could even take a step, all hell broke loose.

"Disgusting!"

"A fishman!"

"Stay away, my dear, who knows what diseases he could give you!"

BANG!

Everything stopped, and it was so quiet that a pin dropping would sound like a nuclear bomb.

"Haha! Look, I shot a fishman! I shot him all by myself! A fishman slave, free! Aren't you proud of me, father?" Charloss gloated, a leery grin on his face.

Law's face twisted in disgust. World Nobles. They could make the worst criminals look like saints.

"You bastard!" Luffy apparently felt the same, as he stalked towards the male, bloodlust in his eyes.

"S-stop, Luffy. Remember the promise! You can't hurt them! I deserve what I get—I'm a pirate. This is only to be expected," Hachi rasped, gripping Straw Hat's heel. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wanted to make up for what I did in the past, but I only got in the way!"

BANG! Another gunshot rang out.

"Shut up, you disgusting fishman! How many times do I have to shoot you to make you less annoying!" Charloss sneered.

Well, even Law knew that was a bad idea. Straw Hat was furious. He punched the World Noble in the face, and the room fell silent once more. Law smirked. The man had deserved it—just because they had the world at their backs didn't mean they could do anything they wanted, and Charloss had learned that today. Probably not very well, as World Nobles seemed to have brains the size of a grain of rice, but at least he got a punch he deserved.

"The marines have already surrounded the place. They've been there from the beginning," Law informed the Straw Hat's captain.

"Huh?" Luffy stared blankly at him. "Who're you?"

Law's eye twitched. Luffy was an idiot.

"Nobody move!" A female's voice shouted, and Law immediately remembered his cook. "I'm going to kill the mermaids that you want so badly!"

Law froze, a dark glare growing on his face.

Charloss threw a fit.

A hand reached up and grabbed the gun.

"Wha?" Shalulia gaped, thrown off balance by the mermaid that had grabbed the barrel of her weapon.

Lor sat up, glaring at the World Noble, forcefully turning the gun away from Camie.

BANG!

Law looked ready to murder. A line of blood appeared on _his_ cook's cheek where the bullet grazed her. Surprised, the girl let go of the gun, only to have it whack her across the head.

"Disgusting! How dare you, a mere fish, touch me, a World Noble!" Shalulia screeched… and fainted.

The back wall tore open, and a very familiar man plus the giant prisoner from before stepped out.

"Well, well. Now I remember you, little one. You belong in a slave auction as much as I do," Silvers Rayleigh said to the green mermaid.

"He's just here to take all the money from the Auction, and anyone stupid enough to buy him," the giant explained to the pirates who knew who the man was.

"Although nobody would buy an old man like me anyways!" Rayleigh guffawed. "The little siren, though, is another story."

Law's interest piqued. Siren? And how did Rayleigh know his cook? The old man glanced around the room, speaking to Luffy and Hatchan, and knocked out another bunch of guards with another wave of haki. Law only concentrated on his cook.

"Room," he said, and teleported to where his cook kneeled.

His eyes scanned over her for abnormalities. The cook was completely fine—if by fine you meant uninjured—and the only abnormalities included the hole where her heart should be, and a fish tail that she didn't have before.

"Are you al—" he bit back the question, reminding himself that he hated her.

He also decapitated the little voice that mocked him for having worried about her, for becoming angry when she had gotten hurt.

"Ah, you're one of the rookies, right? You should move back. I'll take care of the little siren," Rayleigh told Law.

Glaring suspiciously at the Dark King, Law's grip on Lor tightened.

"Unless you want the collar to explode," Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry. I won't hurt your little girlfriend."

That shocked Law into dropping her. "She's not my girlfriend!"

Rayleigh gave him a disbelieving stare, but grabbed Camie and Lor's collars, removing them and throwing them to the side, where they exploded.

"Thanks, Rayleigh," Lor said, the fish tail turning back into legs.

"Meh, I'm only Ray now. A simple coating engineer, so don't use that other name. I want to live a peaceful life," Ray waved a hand at her, then looked a little crestfallen. "But I wish I had gotten to hear your voice…"

"Maybe someday," she smiled.

Law growled. Why did the old man know more about his cook than he did?! And he was _right there_. Don't go smiling at another man!

"I'm too old for her, loverboy. Your woman's safe," Rayleigh rolled his eyes.

"I'm not his. His girlfriend's over there," Lor gestured over to the seats, where April stood, confused and scared.

Law blinked. Oh. April was still there?

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow. "Two timing's not good, boy. It's not good to play with a woman's heart either."

"I—" Law began to protest, but was interrupted.

"Alright, you damned rookies! Hand over the World Nobles immediately!" A voice shouted from outside.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks to AgentChan, Rogers-comics, draugs, and sljk156fun for the favs/follows.

To Guest from Indonesia: Don't worry. I can understand your English perfectly. I'm just posting the chapters as I write-I have a few planned out so those will come out pretty quickly, I think. After that, I'll probably ask if you (the readers) want me to continue or end there. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) this _is_ a Law x Lor story. Her relationship with Smoker isn't like that, but I will tell you that Lor and Smoker love each other-just not in the romantic way (spoiler?). I like Smoker, though, so I may write a story or one shot for him later. I feel sorry for April too, but I wanted to make a story in which the neither woman vying for the man's attention was a bitch. But then again, I also flipped it around so the main character _is_ the 'other woman'.

"You guys go ahead. I'll stop the marines," Lor told the crew.

They all stared at her blankly, both the Heart and Kid Pirate crews who had been left behind. The Kid Pirates roared with laughter; April opened her mouth to scold the other girl.

"Didn't you know? Female charm goes a long way," Lor said, voice and face devoid of emotions.

That stopped the laughter. All the males, for the first time, really took note of her appearance. The girl was pretty to begin with, and on top of that she wore nothing but a flimsy _white_ dress, mostly see through due to being in a fishbowl filled with water. Their gazes took in her long pale legs and cleavage.

"Stop staring, morons!" April snapped.

"Well, if ya think ya can distract them all, yer welcome to try," a Kid pirate leered. "C'mon guys. We'll leave the girly to 'er work."

The Heart Pirates hesitated a little longer, but when she gave them a reassuring nod, they ran off to where their captain was. The shouting marines appearing didn't hurt. April hesitated.

"Go," Lor told her, and she took off.

Lor took a deep breath, sat on a rock, and waited. The marines stopped when they saw her, confusion etched on their faces. She smiled sweetly. A ripple flowed down her body, and she was once again a mermaid. Their eyes widened. She opened her mouth.

The marines froze in their tracks, expressions going slack as the siren sang her lullaby. The notes rang strong and pure through the air. Like dominoes the marines fell, weapons clattering to the ground. They didn't even try to resist—they couldn't. Not when she was in her siren form. When the last notes left her lips, she smirked lightly. All the marines were asleep, and would remain so until all the pirates were off the island.

She turned back into a human—she obviously couldn't walk with a fish tail—and headed to where Trafalgar and the rest of the Heart Pirates were. April was the first one she saw. She raised a brow at the brown haired woman cowering behind a tree. But April didn't even notice her, her gaze trained on something. Lor glanced over and both brows shot up. What was Kuma doing here?

But then her brows furrowed. It was wrong. Kuma was wrong. She had met all the Shichibukai before, and while this thing looked like Kuma, it was not him. Like a gunshot, it hit her. Smoker had mentioned it before. One of the killing machines the marines had developed—a pacifista. She just never expected them to be so daring as to make the pacifistas in the image of the Shichibukai. She wondered if Kuma knew about this. The girl walked out to stand next to Law. He glanced over briefly, then his gaze doubled back to glare at her.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He snapped.

"What happened to the marines!" Shachi and Penguin yelled, terrified that a horde of marines would be on their tails in moments.

"Sleeping," Lor answered, which didn't really answer their questions. "And this isn't Kuma. It's a pacifista."

"A what?" Kidd growled at her.

"A pacifista. A killing machine the marines developed," she replied calmly.

Apparently her calm tone didn't transfer to Kidd's mood. He stormed over and grabbed the front of her dress, bunching the fabric in his fist. Law snarled, but the red haired pirate ignored him.

"How the hell do you know about it? Who are—"

"Kidd," Killer warned, then leaned forward to whisper in his ear.

Kidd's eyes widened for a brief moment, staring at the girl before dropping her. His face split into a wide grin, and not the nice kind either. "Interesting."

He turned his attention back to the pacifista while Law glared at the the redhead and his blonde first mate. Why did it feel like everyone knew about his cook except himself? He was starting to think his noble hostage was more than she seemed.

The little voice returned from the dead for what felt like the hundredth time. But instead of saying something that would surely make it seem to have a death wish, it only rolled its eyes at him.

Inner Law reached out to strangle it.

But his thoughts were interrupted when another beam shot at them. Law quickly lunged to the side, and out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of his cook and the other two pirates doing the same. The next thing he saw nearly made him go take the red haired pirate's head as a trophy.

Lor tugged on Kidd's coat. When the redhead raised an eyebrow at her, she said something to him, making him smirk. He nodded. Lor began running, and when she was a fair distance away, she began jumping up and down, waving her arms for the pacifista's attention.

She got it.

As the other two targets weren't moving, it focused on the high priority target. Its mouth opened. Lor didn't move. Law looked at the pacifista, at his cook, then at the pacifista again. The beam shot. She still didn't move.

Law glared at her and switched the girl with a rock, letting her stumble at the sudden loss of balance. He was mad at her, therefore he ignored her. She only ignored him back. She turned her attention back to the pacifista, only to see that Kidd had done his part. The moment the pacifista had shot at her, the man had used his devil fruit powers to stuff the hole in its mouth with metal.

Now it only had to shoot again.

Lor ran out again, Law biting back a curse as his outreached hand missed her by centimeters. The pacifista was only a machine. It didn't think of the mess in its mouth as a threat. Oh how wrong it was. It locked onto its target and tried to fire. Key word being 'tried'. The power built up behind the metal, but Kidd had done his job really well, as it was jammed too tightly to dislodge. The pacifista's head began to shake. The pirates froze, looking uncertainly at the unstable machine. Smoke started to bellow from the eyes and ears.

Shit.

"Retreat!" Law yelled. Kidd mirrored the order only a heartbeat later.

The crews stayed immobile for only a moment longer before the order got through to their brain cells. They turned on their heels and hightailed it out of there. On the way, Lor grabbed April's arm and yanked her along. Everyone expected a blast of heat at their backs at any moment when the machine blew up.

They weren't disappointed. The pacifista blew up with a BANG that would have made any bomber proud. The smart pirates dove to the ground, the dumb ones were propelled several feet forward by the shockwaves of heat, where they either hit a tree or tumbled to the ground, groaning. Lor had pushed April to the ground, an arm covering the woman's head. But the one who felt crushed was Lor. She shifted and turned her eyes to see what exactly it was that felt like a tree on top of her. Her eyes met grey ones.

"Onii-chan, save me. I just got crushed by a building," she groaned.

"Very funny," Law said wryly, but rolled off her.

He stood to survey the damage. His crew was all alive. He didn't bring any idiots into his crew, so they knew to dive to the ground when something exploded. He couldn't say the same about the Kid Pirates, but they weren't his problem. He had to admit, though, he was slightly disappointed when he saw that Kidd was one of the pirates who had flattened himself to the ground. He wouldn't have minded laughing at the redhead if he had gotten burnt.

"Everyone up. We're returning to the sub," Law ordered.

"Aye, captain," they all muttered as they picked themselves up, even the newest addition Jean Bart.

"Thanks, Lor," April gave the girl a small, shaky smile.

When they got to the sub, uninterrupted by any marines, Bepo finally walked forward, ears down, looking absolutely crestfallen.

Bepo pouted. "My fur got singed."

Lor reached up to rub the bear's ears. "I'll trim the burnt bits off later."

"LOOOOORRRR!" A scream grew louder and louder until a force slammed into the girl, knocking her down.

"How nice. I got hit by a ship this time," she muttered, flat on her back, staring up at the sky.

Law's irritated face entered her field of vision. His boot nudged the weight on top of her. Kuzuri—now that she saw his face she knew who had barreled into her—pushed himself up to hover over her, a relieved expression on his face.

"I'm so glad you're okay. You just disappeared and I beat up the employees and they said you were at the auction so I beat them up some more and I went to the auction to find you but there was nobody there and there were marines littered like trash everywhere and there were World Nobles crying and something exploded and I thought something happened to you—"

Law's boot nudged him—more like kicked—and Kuzuri sent a hurt look up at his captain. Law glared back down. "Don't say everything at once. And I still have something to say to you for losing her. Now get on the sub. We're leaving."

"Aye captain," Kuzuri said mournfully.

He stood before reaching down to pull Lor up. He felt his captain's glare drilling holes into him and froze. He quickly released her hand and waited for the glare to direct elsewhere before relaxing.

"Oh yeah. I left your clothes in your room. And captain's too," Kuzuri told her when they entered the sub.

"Thanks," Lor gave him a small smile, and closed her room door.


	10. Chapter 10

The crew buzzed excitedly as they hovered over the newspaper. The recent events at Sabaody had been reported, and their crew played no small role.

"Oh look! The stupid World Noble is complaining about being punched!" Penguin snickered.

"Straw Hat's bounty will rise after this," Kuzuri commented. "Wait. What's that?"

"What?"

" _That_ ," Kuzuri said impatiently, pointing at a short article almost hidden in the corner of the page.

" 'The Siren, formerly known as the Immortal Witch, appears to have joined the Heart Pirates. Details are unclear, but sources say Trafalgar Law reacted badly to the Siren being sold in the Auction House. With her bounty formerly frozen at 320 million beli, the marines have decided that in the light of recent events, including her treason and joining the notorious pirate crew, her bounty will be increased to 360 million beli'," Penguin read.

The crew fell silent. But only for moments. "WHAAATTT?!"

"Wait, what? Who's the Siren?!" Shachi demanded, yanking the paper away.

"Obviously it's Lor!" Penguin snapped back, grabbing the paper in a tug of war.

"Why does a noble housewife have a bounty on her head?!"

"Obviously she's more than she seems!"

"Her bounty is higher than captain's! That has to mean something!"

"Shut up!" Kuzuri snapped. "She's not an enemy, so stop talking like she is!"

"There's nothing saying she isn't an enemy!" Penguin snapped back.

"She saved our asses more than once!" Kuzuri yelled.

Everyone shut up at that, pondering the words. It was true. Besides, if she wanted to kill them, she could have just poisoned their food. Or even if she didn't have any poison, putting high doses of medicine in their food would have done the trick. It wasn't that difficult, considering that she made all their meals, and that their captain, for some reason, had arsenic in the infirmary.

"But that doesn't change that we don't know who she is," Skua said calmly.

"She's a noble, eighteen years old, engaged to a marine, a mermaid, has a bounty on her head, knows military secrets, and has a ridiculously high bounty," Penguin listed. "Oh, and she's a really good cook."

"And her name's Lor," Bepo added helpfully.

"Not necessarily," Skua told them. "It could be a nickname, or a fake one. There are no living nobles around her age named Lor in any records."

It was then that the said girl walked in. The crew fell silent, staring at her. She stared back for a moment before cocking her head, as if to ask 'what is it?'

"Well, Lor, if that's who you really are," Penguin sneered. "Want to answer some questions?"

She blinked. "Depends on the question."

"We should get the captain," Shachi whispered.

Bepo nodded and scampered off.

"Have a seat," Kuzuri said with a small smile, pulling out a chair for her.

What was this, good marine bad marine? They did play these kinds of games sometimes, but most of them preferred good old torture. But she shrugged and sat down.

"Question 1: Who are you?" Penguin asked, glaring dramatically.

"Lor."

"Your full name!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why should I tell you?"

"Aha! The prisoner is behaving suspiciously! Throw her in a cell!" Penguin shouted.

Kuzuri only sighed at his crewmate's antics. "Is there a reason you don't want to tell us?"

"I despise all members of my family except for my older brother. I do not want to be associated with their surname, and do not wish to be called by my full name because only they do so."

Well. That does make sense.

"And why do you feel that way?" A new voice asked.

"Captain!" Penguin yelped, shooting out of his seat.

"Penguin-ya, why are you interrogating our cook?" Law asked, voice low and menacing.

"She has a bounty," Bepo answered.

Law's brow raised. "Interesting. How much?"

"Apparently they raised it again. 360 million beli," the girl answered. His eyes shot to her, surprised. "And I hate my family because they tried to marry me off to a man many years older than me."

"And the bounty?"

"Partly an attempt to get me back, partly an attempt to remove the stain on the family name," she answered.

Law nodded. "Are you going to harm the crew in any way?"

"No."

Law nodded again. "You were going to start lunch, no?"

Taking it as a dismissal, she nodded and moved to start cooking. Law looked into each crew member's eyes, giving each a stare that told them never to try something like this again. True, he hated knowing nearly nothing about his cook, even if she wasn't officially crew, but despite how frustrating it was, he had to admit that a part of him enjoyed putting together the puzzle.

She had answered the questions truthfully. He could tell that much. Yet he also knew that she didn't tell the full truth. He knew she had eaten a devil fruit, or else she wouldn't have turned into a mermaid. He also knew that she wasn't just any noble spoiled brat, no matter what he had thought before. If she was, Dark King Rayleigh wouldn't have known her, she wouldn't have known about the pacifista, and Kidd wouldn't have just let her go like that. She wouldn't have risked her skin to act as bait for the fake-Kuma either.

So what in the world was she? A pirate? A marine? Or was she really just a strange noble who knew more than she should? If she was engaged to Smoker, it would answer some questions about why she knew so much. As a noble, she also could have obtained and consumed a devil fruit. But that didn't answer all the questions, and didn't satisfy him. Especially regarding her bounty. Runaways from home didn't have such high bounties, unless she had been a World Noble, but then a World Noble would not have gotten engaged to someone as 'lowly' as Smoker.

His head spun as he contemplated the girl.

He didn't even notice the presence slipping into the chair next to him.

April stared almost sadly at Law. She was sure he liked Lor. The girl had gotten him to eat bread—something April was never able to do—and Law had been so worried about her at the Auction. He had been furious when he saw her in that bowl, when she got shot, and when they were running away from the explosion Law had covered Lor and not April.

She wanted to cry, to scream, to get Law's attention back. She was the one who had met Law first, damn it! She was the one who loved Law, was the one who slept with Law, was Law's girlfriend! She wanted to squeeze the life out of Lor's throat and get rid of the girl so Law would love April again—except she didn't. She liked Lor. The girl was a friend. She had protected April. And the girl had never tried to get Law's attention, never asked Law to like her. Hell, Lor had stated several times that _April_ was Law's girlfriend, and that she had no interest in Law. She fought with Law all the time and defied him. She called him by his last name. Law was supposed to hate Lor. Law was supposed to like—she wasn't stupid enough to expect love—April.

But he didn't. He didn't like April that way. He probably never had. She knew he was attracted to her on some level, but he didn't have those feelings for her. She loved him, he didn't love her. April smiled wryly. She probably had known this all along, but ignored it because it hurt less to pretend, and because as long as Law didn't fall for anyone else, they could continue to pretend.

A hand touched the back of her hand. April returned her attention to reality, looking down to see Lor kneeling in front of her, the girl's face staring worriedly up at her. April felt a tinge of surprise. The normally expressionless girl looked _worried_? Lor reached up to touch April's cheek. It came away wet. April recoiled in surprise. She swiped a hand at her cheeks, only to find that it, too, came away wet. Her eyes widened.

"Oh," April laughed a little. Even to her ears it sounded fake. "How stupid. What am I crying for?"

"April?" Lor queried hesitantly.

"I'm fine, fine," April hurriedly said, wiping away the tears, hoping that no new ones would fall. Seeing the concern only grow on the other girl's face, she forced a smile. "I'm fine. Really. The food's going to burn."

Lor blinked, face going blank again. Realizing the food was still cooking, she quickly stood and ran a few steps back towards the kitchen. Then she hesitated and walked back to April, awkwardly patting her head in an attempt to comfort her before returning to the kitchen to make sure the food was still edible.

"April…?" Law said, an unsure expression on his face.

If April had not been feeling this way, she would have laughed at the expression she never knew Law could make. But she wasn't feeling like laughing.

"Law?" She steeled herself to ask the questions that she already knew the answers to. But she had to hear it. She needed the closure. "Do you love me? Do you even like me? Romantically, I mean."

Law looked taken aback for a moment, before he schooled his expression. His eyes, though, were softer than usual as he looked her straight in the eyes. "No. I do like you, but not that way."

April sucked in a breath and nodded. She knew, but it still hurt to hear it said aloud. "And Lor?"

Law blinked in surprise. He remained silent.

"Do you like Lor?"

Did he? He was supposed to hate her. He had hated her. He still did. So why had he been so pissed when she got kidnapped? Got hurt? Why did he feel so smug and happy when Rayleigh mistook them for lovers? Why had he wanted to tear Kuzuri's head off when he tackle-hugged her?

"I… don't know."


	11. Chapter 11

April moved into Lor's room. She couldn't stay in Law's room anymore, not since they 'broke up'. Lor had made space without a word. Lor gave April space to think, but it was depressing to room with someone… well, depressed.

Oh, April did a good job of putting a mask on in front of people. But the smile didn't exactly reach her eyes, and the smile disappeared once she thought nobody could see.

"We're going shopping," Lor finally said, standing in front of April, who was sitting on the bed thinking about Law.

April glanced up in surprise. She blinked once. "You don't like shopping."

"But you do," Lor said, then toyed with the ends of her hair in what April deduced to be embarrassment. "I also need to find a birthday present for Smoker."

"Smoker? Isn't he a marine?" April queried, remembering that Law had said Lor was Smoker's whore. "If you don't mind me asking, ummm… What's your relationship with him?"

"He's my…" Lor paused, thinking it over. What answer should she give? She never lied to the crew, but that didn't mean she didn't omit information she didn't need them knowing. "He's the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth man I had sex with, give or take a few nights."

April froze for a moment at the extremely blunt answer. "Oh… Are you… uhhh… Engaged to him?"

"No."

"Oh. Sorry. So you're engaged to someone else… But you love Smoker?" At the girl talk, April perked up a little.

"Yes. But not romantically. He doesn't love me romantically either. He told me that too."

April was floored. How could you have sex with someone so many times without romantic love? Oh, wait. Law could. She fell into a mini mope again. Impatiently Lor stuck her face close, surprising April into falling backwards, her back landing on the bed with a FLOP.

"So? Shopping? Smoker? Present?"

"O-oh. Alright. Let's go," April smiled.

But when they walked out the door, April hesitated. Law. They should tell him where they were going, but her heart clenched every time she saw him, much less talked to him.

Lor didn't have the same inhibitions. She stuck her head in the man's room, and seeing him present, she simply said, "Trafalgar, April and I are going shopping."

He only grunted in reply. Lor shut the door behind her and motioned for April to start walking. They got the money from Bepo and headed out into town.

Law continued reading… _If the aorta goes shopping_ … Huh? Law reread the line to see something completely different. Oh. Then he furrowed his eyebrows. Why did he misread… Shopping… SHOPPING?!

He leapt out of the chair, the book clattering unnoticed to the floor. "BEPO!"

"Yes, captain?"

"Did April and the cook go _shopping_?" He asked, uncharacteristic panic on his face.

"… Yes?"

"How much money did you give them?!"

"I'm sorry!" Bepo squeaked. And the sum he named shocked Law into silence.

"Repeat that, please," he said quietly.

Bepo repeated the number. Now Law was sure he hadn't misheard. He slapped his forehead, groaning. One female shopping alone was bad enough—when they got together and shopped, the money they spent doubled or even tripled. And for Bepo to give them _that_ much… There goes the food for the rest of the year. Could the crew survive on saltines and water? Well, they could always go fishing…

Meanwhile, April was regaining her normal cheerfulness. "Isn't that dress adorable? I bet it would look great on you! Oh, cute shoes!"

Lor only half listened, her eyes scanning the area for something she could give Smoker. She had never missed a year, and she wasn't about to start now. Only problem is, she was running out of ideas. She'd already given him a scarf and a leather strap for his jitte, and nothing really ever topped the year she gave him his devil fruit. She had a penchant for finding those things. Would you believe that she found his fruit growing practically in the backyard? He had dog tags, several pairs of mittens, scarves, even shoes. She liked giving him useful things, because, well, they were useful.

Except cigars. She would never give him those, especially when she used to always tell him to quit smoking.

"Lor?"

Lor blinked, and glanced at the girl.

"Is something wrong?" April asked, concerned.

"Just thinking. What do you get a marine who likes things based on their utility?"

"A shirt?"

"He never wears shirts," Lor said immediately. Then almost sounding like she had her head in the clouds, pondered out loud, "Now that I think about it, most men I know don't wear shirts…"

April shook off the tadbit of strange information.

"I'd get him a mug, but it might break. He doesn't like reading books… A watch… A watch!" Lor's eyes lit up.

She half dragged April into the nearest shop selling watches. April glanced around, mouth agape at the sheer number of timepieces surrounding her. She was surprised that the ceaseless ticking didn't drive the employees insane.

"I need something that doesn't break easily. Sturdy. As in a building could fall on it and it wouldn't break. Also it should be able to stop a sword or some other weapon," Lor told the employee, who could only blink, mind reeling.

"BOSS!" He hollered.

"Alright, alright! I heard the lass!" The boss called from the back room.

The two females heard muttering and cursing, boxes falling here and there. April sweatdropped. Was there a storm going on back there? She glanced sideways at Lor. Her expression, as usual, was blank. But April was quite sure that if the girl showed more expression, it would be a mix between amused and stunned.

"Ah, here we go," the older man said, walking out. "This what you want, lass?"

Lor took hold of the watch, examining it. It was heavier than normal, and quite sturdy as well. If Smoker's jitte got tossed away, this thing could temporarily block any weapon heading his way. Granted, a heavy blunt force may still break his wrist, but the watch would take most of the impact and breaking a wrist was better than breaking a head.

"I'll take it," Lor decided.

"That will be fifty thousand belli," the shop owner said.

April's jaw dropped. That much for a watch? But Lor only nodded, taking out some money from her pocket and paying the man. April stared blankly for a moment before remembering that she was the one who had the money Bepo had given them.

"Wait, didn't Bepo give us money?" April asked, cocking her head.

"Yes, but I'm buying this for Smoker, and I don't think Trafalgar would want me to spend his money on a marine," Lor replied. "Can we stop at the post office later? I need to send this."

"Yeah, of course. So… shopping?" April asked hopefully.

Lor nodded, giving the woman a small smile. Hopefully, she wouldn't buy too much.

Lor was wrong. She was used to living only with the necessities, and could not comprehend how one person could buy and wear so many clothes. And how in the world could someone balance on six inch heels? Or rather, what was the sense in wearing six inch heels on a pirate ship? You couldn't run or fight in those! She hadn't even gotten started on the makeup.

It made sense that women needed to look pretty. She was the strange one for caring more about utility, whether or not she could run and fight, and whether she could pack everything in a small bag and leave immediately.

When you could only bring necessities, makeup always got left behind. That was common sense.

By the time April was finished and a lot happier—the wallet also a lot lighter—they went to the post office. Lor wrote a short care. April glanced over her shoulder. The only thing she caught sight of was 'Happy Birthday, Smoker. From your favorite little—'. April blinked, curious, but Lor had sealed the card in an envelope, placed it in the box along with the watch, and paid the fees. It would be sent out later in the day.

"We're back," April sang, giggling. "Bepo, here's the remaining money back."

"Don't worry. She only spent half," Lor whispered to the bear.

"I'm sorry," Bepo muttered. She patted his head.

"What'd you buy?" Law asked, dreading the answer when he saw the many, many bags.

"Clothes, shoes, makeup, jewelry. Oh, and Lor bought a birthday present for Smoker," April answered absently. She was in a really good mood. She won't let Law's presence ruin that.

Law stiffened. And not only from the loss of money. She bought _what_ for _who_?!

"I used my own money," Lor told him, seeing the dark look.

Law, face stormy, spun on his heel and followed April. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. She raised an eyebrow.

"Who is Smoker to her?" He growled.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" April retorted.

Law's glare only darkened. April sighed and rolled her eyes. Men!

"Jeez. You're the one who suspected she was his whore. She's not a whore, by the way. She's a good girl," April said. "She gave him her virginity, slept with him a few times after, and they love each other but not romantically. Happy?"

The look on Law's face clearly said that, no, he was not happy.

 _The next day Smoker woke up in a bad mood. He had to meet up with one of the most annoying admirals he had ever had the bad luck to meet. His father had also chewed him out about Lor—not that he cared what his father thought. Lor was safe, and she was better off where she was._

 _"_ _Smoker-san, you got a package," Tashigi said, hesitating a little as she saw the grumpier-than-usual look on the commodore's face._

 _Smoker blinked and took the package. He opened it—and immediately smiled. Tashigi's jaw dropped. Smoker! Smiled! She glanced around, a little afraid. Was a bomb going to drop on them? Was the world going to explode? Was the Earth orbiting around the moon instead of the sun?_

 _"_ _Tch. The little idiot," Smoker grumbled, but his mood had lifted._

 _Like every year since she was old enough to talk, his favorite person had sent him a birthday present._


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks to onepieceoffreedom, xAlysanneTargaryenx, and xxOchibixx for following.

I have and will continue to put tidbits of Lor's past. If you want to read the full scenes of her past, I can post them up later, when they no longer contain spoilers.

Law was pissed. Lor was in a relationship with Smoker, slept with him. Loved him. He ignored the 'not romantically' part. Love was love. He didn't know why he was so angry when he had heard that. He had expected her to belong to Smoker from the beginning. But he was pissed. Therefore he was ignoring Lor. Now… if only she knew he was ignoring her…

Except she did. And she was confused as hell. She hadn't done anything to annoy him lately. She did make bread, but he should be used to it by now, especially since she didn't force him to eat it again. She didn't spend much money on the shopping trip either. All she did was buy a present for Smoker.

Yet he seemed so angry at her that she expected something to stab her heart at any moment.

Kuzuri walked up to her and deadpanned, "Do something."

She blinked. And blinked again. "Huh?"

"About captain," the navigator rolled his eyes. "You did something to annoy him and now his pissy mood is contaminating the crew."

"I didn't do anything," Lor stated.

Kuzuri stared at her. She really didn't know? "Did you hug another guy? Talk to another guy? Hell, did you even look at another guy?"

"What I do is none of Trafalgar's business."

"I'll take that as a yes. You should hurry and confess to the captain. That would make him happy again."

Lor blinked, confused. "Confess? I didn't do anything wrong."

Kuzuri groaned, walking over just to slam his head against the wall. _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk_.

"Stop that. You'll kill the few brain cells you have left," Lor told him.

He stopped and stared at her. "For someone who speaks in a monotone and shows no emotions whatsoever, you really have a sharp tongue. Ever gone a day without insulting someone?"

She only shrugged.

"And I didn't mean that kind of confession. A love confession," Kuzuri explained.

For a fleeting moment, the blank expression vanished, replaced by a deer-caught-in-headlights expression. He would have laughed if his head didn't hurt so much. They needed softer walls.

"Why would I confess my love to someone I don't love?"

"You don't?" Kuzuri asked, surprised.

"I do?" Lor asked, just as surprised.

"You don't?" Kuzuri asked, starting to sound like a broken record.

"I don't," Lor said firmly. "April loves Trafalgar."

"They broke up," Kuzuri said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Because he doesn't love her. He likes you."

"He can't," Lor replied. "He hates me. And I'm just his hostage."

"Honey, the mind and the heart say different things," April cut in, coming up behind Lor. "Law sure doesn't see you as 'just his hostage' anymore."

"B-but… Law is supposed to be _your_ boyfriend," Lor insisted, frowning.

"If he doesn't like me, it can't be helped. I'll find someone else, eventually," April said, a pained expression crossing her face before being replaced by a determined one. "But you! You don't love Smoker romantically, even if you did send him a birthday present yesterday. Is there someone you do love?"

"I liked Leo, but never loved him. He's more like a surrogate brother now," Lor thought for a moment. "Am I supposed to like Trafalgar?"

"There's no supposed about it, kid. You either do or you don't," Kuzuri rolled his eyes.

"I… don't know?"

April and Kuzuri shared a look.

"Jeez. Both of them are a handful," Kuzuri muttered, walking away. "You're a girl, you handle it."

"I will!" April yelled back cheerfully.

April smirked evilly at Lor. The green haired girl took an uncertain step back, ready to bolt. But before she could so much as take a step, April grabbed the back of her shirt. She dragged the struggling girl to their shared room and pushed her into the bed before locking the door and pocketing the key. Lor's eyes travelled to the said pocket, calculating what it would take to get the key into her own hands. April only tsked, knowing exactly what Lor was thinking.

"Now… For our love interrogation!" April squealed.

"Love… what?"

"So, how do you feel about Law?"

"I don't love him," Lor deadpanned, hoping that answer would end the interrogation from hell.

It didn't.

April sighed, aggravated. "No! I mean does your stomach feel weird, or does your heart beat faster, or if you think about him all the time! Does your heart hurt when he ignores you or is mad at you? Do you feel angry when he's with another girl? Do you think about him all the time?"

Lor looked at April weirdly. "If you felt all that, I think you should go to a doctor and get a checkup. You may have a strange disease."

"Yes! Love! Love sick!" April squealed. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"Sounds painful to me," Lor muttered under her breath.

"Fine," April huffed. "One question at a time. How did it feel when Law protected you at Sabaody?"

"… Heavy. He weighs a lot for someone who looks so skinny."

April stared blankly at the girl. "Emotionally…"

"I wanted him to get off?"

"Okay, that may not be the best example… How about when you were still a mermaid? Law went to check on you, right? How'd you feel then?"

"Kind of nice, I guess. I didn't think he cared about my wellbeing," Lor admitted. "But then again I am his hostage. And the cook. If I died the crew would have to eat disgusting food until he got a new cook."

"That's not—Never mind. You felt nice. It's a step in the right direction. What about when Law was with me? How did you feel?"

Lor blinked. "You're his girlfriend."

"Jealousy?"

"You're his girlfriend," Lor repeated.

April sighed. "Is he attractive to you? At all?"

"He is good looking. But I think I told him that before," Lor mused.

"You… _WHAT?_ When?!"

"When he kidnapped me. I was out of it, so I just said the first thing that I thought," Lor sighed. "Look. I don't love him. I don't like him. I just want to know why he's ignoring me and why he's mad."

"So you do like him," April's look of despair transformed into a mischievous look. When Lor sent her a level, deadpan stare, she quickly wiped the look off her face. "All right. He's mad because you sent Smoker a present, because you slept with him, and because you love him."

"I don't love Smoker that way," Lor said, confused.

"It doesn't make a difference. You love him enough to sleep with him."

"But… he's my… He was the only one who loved me then. There was no one else I could turn to, or else I wouldn't have gone to him!" Lor protested. "He's not the type to do something like that, really, he isn't! It was my fault! He was just protecting me!"

April looked taken aback. Lor and Smoker really didn't have a normal relationship. She wanted to ask more, but Lor looked distressed, and she didn't want to push it.

"All right, all right. I understand," April soothed. "Just… Tell Law that, ok? That you don't have a romantic relationship with Smoker."

Smoker was… Smoker was…

"I…" Lor's eyes glazed. It was all her fault.

 _"_ _Smoker," she said, knocking twice before entering his room._

 _He glanced up. She was wearing one of his shirts; it was large enough to hang off her frame and cover up to mid-thigh. Silently she approached him. Her arms snaked around his neck and she pressed close, close enough for him to feel her body heat. He stiffened._

 _"_ _We can't do this. Not again," he said, voice suddenly hoarse. "We're siblings. This is wrong. And you know I don't love you. Not like this."_

 _Her face nestled into the crook of his neck._

 _"_ _Help me forget," she whispered against his skin. "I don't want to remember the feeling of him inside me."_

 _Realization dawned._

 _"_ _I'll kill him," he growled. He tried to stand, but she held him down._

 _"_ _Don't leave me," she practically whimpered, eyes watery._

 _He complied, relaxing again. His hand stroked her hair. It was too easy to forget that they were siblings, and that he was too old for her. And then her mouth was on his._

 _Instinctively he kissed back, allowing her to push him down so his back was on the bed. He groaned, hands running up her sides. And he was already aroused. Her hands moved to his pants just as his moved to unbutton the shirt. No bra. He stared for a moment._

 _This time he dragged her down, his lips connected to hers, his tongue shoved into her mouth. Somehow both of their underwear disappeared, and her hand was stroking him. He moaned into her mouth and lowered a hand, preparing her as well. She gasped, making little noises that only aroused him more._

 _"_ _Condom," he murmured against her lips. She nodded, letting him pull away to grab a rubber in his drawer. He ripped the packet open and rolled it on in one motion._

 _He crawled back into the bed, hovering on top of her, studying her for a moment. She could tell from his eyes that he didn't like the changes he saw in her. So she reached up to link her arms behind his neck. She pulled him down towards her._

A/N: And now you know Lor and Smoker's relationship. Law still doesn't know, though. I did warn that their relationship was disturbing. It just helps show that Lor is somewhat mentally screwed up.

I don't think it's morally wrong. Disgusting to most people, but not morally wrong. After all, inbreeding had been used in history to keep bloodlines pure, and they aren't even breeding.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thanks to ChinaDang and amberskywolf for following. And I want to thank all the Guests for reviewing... I would address you individually, but it's a little difficult, considering that there are so many 'Guest' reviewers.

xxOchibixx: Thanks. I wanted her to resist more too, but it just happened this way. Law was already starting to ignore and forget about her presence, so I was a little worried that the readers would see April as an annoying and clingy character if she insisted on staying with Law. Because I'm sure that with Law's personality, he wouldn't like that. The parts he narrate will show that, and it might influence the readers' views of her. Also, aren't the main oc's in other stories usually quite understanding despite getting jealous and upset? I just thought that women like that would be hurt and depressed, but would back away graciously once they realize their love interest didn't return their feelings. I've never written a lemon before, but I've read a lot *embarrassed* so I'll give it a try. Might take some time, though.

"Captain, we've docked…" Kuzuri said.

Law blinked. The crew had been so excited to get to the next island, restock, get some alcohol into their bloodstream, and maybe find a woman or two to spend the night with. So what was with this strange mood? As far as he knew, there was nothing wrong with this island.

"And the problem is…?" Law asked, a brow arched.

"Well…" Kuzuri fidgeted. "There's a pirate ship."

"So?" Law asked, starting to grow impatient.

"The jolly roger belongs to Akagami no Shanks," Kuzuri finally said.

Law blinked, and blinked again. The information turned over in his head. What was the Yonko's fleet doing all the way over here when they should be in the New World? But if he had to meet a Yonko here, he wasn't unhappy with meeting Shanks' crew. The pirate was known to be powerful and dangerous, but also easygoing. Shanks would not start a fight for no reason, and his crew was the same. Law was sure his own crew wasn't stupid enough to give the Red Haired Pirates a reason to attack.

He moved to the deck, where his crew lounged uneasily. "Go. Don't get into a fight and don't start trouble. You know the routine. Supplies first, then fun."

Reassured by their captain, the crew finally relaxed and hurried on to do their jobs. Lor snuck a glance at Trafalgar. She couldn't stop thinking about what April had 'deduced'. She liked Trafalgar? No, it was impossible. Even if she did, she could never be in a relationship. She was impure. She was tainted.

She shook her head, clearing out the depressing thoughts, and turned to look at the Yonko's ship. It was familiar. But then again, most pirate ships looked the same, with small variations. Trafalgar's sub and Luffy's Sunny were probably the most unusual ships on the Grand Line. That she'd seen anyways.

"Trafalgar? That's Shanks' ship," Lor said.

"I know. That's the Yonko's jolly roger," Law replied.

She felt a breath of relief. Was he no longer ignoring her?

"No. I mean that _is_ Shanks' ship. It's Red Force. _Shanks_ is here," she said.

Law felt like he had swallowed a brick. He stared at her like she had grown two heads. Pieces of information hurtled through his mind. She knew Shanks. She recognized Shanks' ship. Shanks was there. His crew might actually be stupid enough to accidentally enrage a Yonko. A Yonko, no matter how easygoing he was rumored to be, was still a Yonko. Rumors didn't always tell the truth.

"Shanks-ya won't fight," Lor said, drawing Law back to reality.

He raised a brow, his paled face regaining some color. "How do you know?"

"He prefers drinking and partying. He'll only fight if someone hurts his crew or if he sees someone attack an innocent person."

"Oh…" That was fine, then. Curiosity hit. "How do you know Shanks-ya?"

"I met him before. He also tried to get me to drink when I was underage," she said. "I hate rum because of him."

Law put away that little piece of information for future reference.

"Ummm…"

Law glanced over to see the girl fidgeting. Surprise flashed through his eyes. He never knew she could show that much emotion.

"Are you done ignoring me?" She asked sheepishly, glancing up at him through her lashes.

Law's mouth opened, then closed. "Oh…"

"I don't love Smoker romantically. We may have… you know, but our feelings are only platonic," she told him, averting her gaze. "And I'm just telling you because Kuzuri and April said to."

He stared at her uncomprehendingly. Then he understood. He may just have to cut them into pieces later.

"Well, I'm going…" Lor said and hurried off the sub.

She wasn't going to look for Shanks. She was going to avoid him. She was going to avoid him because she didn't want to see him. She was going to avoid him because if he knew about her status on the Heart Pirates' ship, he would throw a fit. She was going to avoid him…

She ran into him.

"Oof," a male voice huffed, breathless from the force.

Her body barreled into a hard chest, and the only thing she saw was red and black before she had crashed. And a man with red hair and a black cloak and smelled like rum and ocean could only be one man. Besides, she recognized the voice. She groaned mentally, burying her face in his chest.

"Well, hello there lass. Been a long time," Shanks grinned, grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her back so he could get a good look at her. "And you've grown quite a bit, eh?"

"Yes. But you're still four years old," she muttered.

Shanks laughed, pulling her back in for a long-time-no-see hug, and froze, his hand where it shouldn't have been. His smile disappeared, replaced by a mild glare. Lor couldn't see his face, but she knew the expression.

Lor froze. Oh, shit. If Shanks found out that Law was holding her hostage, and had her heart on top of that, he would kill the doctor.

That was why she had intended to avoid him in the first place.

"Lorelei, why is there a hole where your heart should be?" Shanks asked _very_ calmly, voice _very_ even.

"For safekeeping?" Lor tried. It didn't work.

Shanks looked down at her, scowling lightly. He knew exactly why she didn't have her heart. "You're not his crew member, are you. I doubt that even the Surgeon of Death would keep the hearts of all his crew members."

"No," Lor admitted.

"Would you like me to get it back?" Shanks asked, tone implying that he would tear apart anyone in the way if she said yes.

"Without killing them?"

"I could try. I'm a nice guy. I can try not to kill them for doing this. If _he_ knew, _he_ would just slice them apart… Why didn't you just take it back yourself? It would be easy for you," Shanks hesitated, glancing down at her with a brow raised, a teasing grin forming on his lips. "You fell in love with one of them?"

"N-no!" Lor protested, eyes wide.

"That doesn't sound very convincing, little siren," Shanks teased, laughing.

"I don't!" Lor pouted, stomping a foot.

"Oh, that face! It's got 'love' written all over it!" Shanks howled with laughter. "So lemme meet your boyfriend? I've _gotta_ tell Mihawk about this!"

"I DO NOT LIKE TRAFALGAR!" Lor finally shouted.

Shanks' laughter stopped, but a grin remained on his face. "Now, who said anything about Trafalgar?"

Lor froze, suddenly realizing her mistake. She groaned and buried her face in Shanks' shirt. She could feel the heat rising to her face. It was probably as red as Shanks' hair.

Stupid Shanks.

"I hate you," Lor mumbled.

"Aww, is that something you say to a surrogate family member?" Shanks cooed, not at all upset. "I'm like your uncle!"

Lor couldn't help herself. "Uncle?"

"Aren't I?"

"No." She pulled back to study Shanks' face for a moment. He faked a crestfallen face, and she felt a little smirk tug at the corner of her lips. "You're more like the strange grand-aunt every family has."

Shanks stood stunned. "G-g-g-g-GRAND-AUNT?!"

"Yes, you know, the little old ladies who love to gossip and let the children do what they're not supposed to. And they love to set up their grand-nieces and nephews with potential partners?"

"Hey! I'm not a woman!" Shanks protested. "Lookie here! Do I look like I have boobs?!"

Lor stared hard at his chest, squinting a little. "Yes, I think you do. An A-cup, perhaps. Small, just like the peanut between your legs."

"You're cruel~!" Shanks whined at her. "Where'd you learn such language, lass? Maybe I should prove to you that I'm not small!"

She blinked at him, face blank. "No thanks. You're old."

Shanks gaped at her, then moved to the side to sulk, muttering under his breath, "Mihawk rubbed off on her… The lassie used to be so nice and kind and a good girl…"

"So why are you here anyways?" Lor asked, ignoring the man's feigned depression.

"Hmm? Oh, this and that. Nice to get out of the New World once in a while to relax," Shanks told her, immediately returning back to normal, knowing their teasing exchanges were done with.

Lor fidgeted a bit, hesitant to ask the question. "H-how's Mihawk? And the rest of them?"

"They're good," Shanks glanced at her. "They still care about you, you know. Family doesn't abandon its own."

"I don't have the right to call myself their family," Lor said, feeling a lump rise in her throat.

"Lass…"

"Well, I didn't expect to meet a Yonko here," a new voice cut in.

The two turned sharply to see a tall, lean man saunter over, the usual cocky smirk pasted on his face. Behind Law lumbered Bepo, carrying the nodachi. Shanks glanced at Lor, then at Law, and it didn't take long for his eyes to travel down to the box hanging on the surgeon's belt. Three guesses as to what the box held, and the first two didn't count.

"Super rookie Trafalgar Law," Shanks greeted, his usual smile absent. "Mind telling me why you have the lassie's heart?"

Law blinked, a little surprised, but quickly regained composure. Out of the corner of his eye he studied Lor. She _had_ indicated that she knew about Shanks, enough to recognize his ship, but to know him personally…

At least he knew enough biology to know that a red haired parent would never produce a green haired child. Dominant gene and such.

"Safekeeping," Law shrugged.

Shanks raised an eyebrow. "Safekeeping."

"Safekeeping," Law repeated, holding the Yonko's gaze.

Shanks rolled his eyes towards the heavens, throwing his arm up in disbelief. He looked at Lor. "Really? Him?"

Lor's face turned an interesting shade of pink. "Shanks! Shut up, you... you… Grandma!"

If she wasn't so embarrassed, she would have found the looks on the three males' faces hilarious enough to die for.


	14. Chapter 14

"Uhhh… Well, I'll be returning to my ship," Shanks said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. He took several steps towards the dock, then remembered something and turned. "You still have…" He shot a quick glance at Law, then changed his wording, "Those cards, right?"

Lor cocked her head, confused for a moment. Then she understood what he was talking about. The Vivre Cards. She nodded. Shanks grinned and walked off with a wave.

"Let's go," Law said harshly, grabbing her wrist and yanking her along.

She stumbled, tripping over her toes before she regained her balance. Lor pulled, trying to free her wrist from the vice-like grip, but to no avail. She was forced into a gait that was something between a hop and a walk as she tried to keep up while avoiding stepping on the pirate's heels.

"Bepo, help?" She whispered to the bear.

"I'm sorry," the bear only said.

So Lor had to maintain the uncomfortable position until they arrived at the bar. Law finally let go, but only to push her inside. She sent a dirty look to his back before moving to sit down. What was he mad about this time?

"You know Shanks-ya," Law stated from behind her the moment she sat down.

Lor yelped, spinning in her seat, then pressed her lips in a thin line. She didn't notice him following her! She glanced down at the box that held her heart. Hopefully the Hearts' captain didn't feel the racing heart through the walls of the box. If he did, he gave no indication.

"He's my surrogate father's best friend."

Law seemed to relax a little. "Oh."

Lor cocked her head, confused by his strange mood swings. Did men have their own version of PMS?

' _He luuuuurves you!'_ A mental voice in the form of Kuzuri's voice teased.

Inner Lor pounced on the miniature mental Kuzuri, stomping him into the dirt and tossing him out the window. She puffed out a breath of air and wiped off her hands to get rid of the 'Kuzuri germs', nodding at a job well done. Good riddance.

"So what did he say that made you turn red?" Law asked, grey eyes trained on the girl.

Finally, _finally_ he got a reaction he expected and wanted out of the girl. Her eyes widened in shock, her back stiffening. Slowly her face flushed red, to the point of her ears. Law smirked.

"N-nothing," she said. Damn, her voice had come out in a near squeak.

"Don't lie," Law leaned in.

Too close. He was too close! She shivered unconsciously as his breath tickled her ear. She shifted in her seat to put some distance in between them. In her peripheral vision she saw Law's smirk grow.

"Really. Nothing," Lor said, this time regaining control of her voice.

Law straightened, a little disappointed. He'd wanted to toy with her a bit longer, but she had too much control over her expressions. But with every new thing he found out about his cook, he discovered that he had ten more questions he wanted answered. He could ask her directly, like his crew had attempted before, but what would be the fun in that?

Besides he'd found that she was always cryptic when giving information. She would never willingly tell him enough to satisfy his curiosity.

"Lor!" April called out, grinning.

The woman sashayed over. Lor could see that she was unsteady on her feet. They had just arrived at the island! How much did April drink?

"Drink with me!" April giggled, forcing a glass into Lor's hand.

Lor glanced hesitantly at the liquid. The last time she had alcohol, Shanks laughed like crazy, Mihawk flipped, and aside from the bad taste, the headache she had the next morning was enough to make her swear off alcohol. But April stared at her expectantly. Lor took a small sip. Satisfied that her friend was drinking, April relaxed in the chair next to her, cradling her own drink.

"Oh, Law. You were here. Shoo. Girl time," April ordered, making a shooing motion with her free hand.

Law opened his mouth to tell his former girlfriend not to order him around. But April was tipsy, and she wouldn't care anyways. Alcohol+ April=insanity. He walked away.

"Lorlor! C'mon! It's a party! Drink all you want!" April shouted. Her words weren't slurred yet, but they were getting there at an alarming pace.

The crew cheered at the words—they didn't need a second invitation to party and drink. Lor sighed. Pirates and their alcohol. She could tell that the crew was quickly descending to the Red Haired Pirates' level at the rate they were going. Now _that_ was a crew that did almost nothing but party.

Lor took another sip. It tasted pretty good. Nothing like the disgusting rum she had a few years back. She drank a bit more. Well, as long as she stopped before she got drunk, she won't get a hangover, right?

But she didn't even get that far. In fact, she didn't even get to finish her glass.

"Oh. My. Heavens. All the shit in the world that is holy, could be holy, or will be holy. Who is _that_?" April gasped.

Lor stared weirdly at the other girl. Interesting phrasing. She would find it more interesting if April's nails stopped digging into her arm.

April was staring at the door, eyes wide and mouth agape. Her slightly slurred words had become clear, as if she had sobered just from the sight she saw. Lor flinched as the nails dug deeper. That would leave a mark. She tried to pry April's fingers loose, but finally resigned herself to crescent moon shaped marks on her arm for the next few days.

She turned in her seat, eyes following April's line of vision, to take a look at what April was going on about… and froze.

Two lean males in their early twenties stood at the doorway. One had brown hair and green eyes, the other black hair and brown eyes. Lor couldn't see their eye color from where she sat, but she knew the traits like she knew her own. The glass in her hand fell from her numb hand. She didn't even notice it shattering at her feet—her eyes, wide with shock, only saw the two men.

But everyone else heard the sharp sound, and the bar fell silent. The crew stared at her, surprised and curious. Somewhere in the corner of her mind she knew April was tugging on her sleeve, worried, but she didn't really take notice.

On the two males' faces were expressions that mirrored hers.

"Sho… Leo…" Lor whispered, but in the silent enclosed space, everyone heard.

The three stood like statues for only a moment. The two turned on their heels and ran out. Like they were marionettes on the same string, Lor lunged forward at the same time. Her hand reached out to them… But the fingers paused mere centimeters away from the back of Leo's hoodie, hesitant to reach out and grab hold despite the girl wanting _so badly_ to do so. And then Leo and Sho were gone, their legs carrying them far away.

Arm still outstretched, Lor stood alone in front of the doors. Then suddenly, as if all the strength had drained out of her body, the arm fell to her side, and the girl collapsed onto her knees.

Law's breath caught. He almost reached out to her. Almost.

But Lor's limp arms moved, wrapping around her midsection, gripping the cloth of her top until her fingers turned pale and bloodless. Her hands were visibly trembling. Eyes wide, mouth gasping for air, Lor knelt there, unable to think, unable to breathe. The only thing flashing through her mind was the look on the two males' expressions, burning into her memory.

And then a heart-wrenching scream, filled with pain and grief, filled the air. It took a moment for Lor to realize it was her own voice.


	15. Chapter 15

Lor sat in the corner of her room with her knees drawn tight against her chest, head buried between her knees. She had been in that position for over a day, only leaving the spot to go to the bathroom, walking like a zombie. Nothing else got her to budge. She knew the log pose didn't set for another five or six days. Staying in the inn's room wouldn't hurt anyone.

 _Rejected_. That was the only word running through her mind over, and over, and over. The expressions on Sho's and Leo's faces were burned into her memory. They had run away. They didn't want to see her.

Of course. If she was in their shoes, she wouldn't want to see her either. She had done something unforgivable.

She was pathetic. She hated _him_ , couldn't even bring herself to mention _his_ name. She knew she should blame _him_. If _he_ didn't exist, then none of this would have happened. But she knew it was her fault. If she hadn't provoked _him_ , Rolo would still be alive.

 _Lor sneered, "I would rather commit incest than give my virginity to someone like you. At least Smoker is a good lover."_

His _face was turning purple with rage._ He _opened his mouth and roared, making everyone jump, even her. But_ he _calmed down almost immediately, making Lorelei wary._

 _"_ _Fine then. But you will not be getting away that easily. Now for the last condition. Kill one of them,"_ He _said, the fury on his face transforming into a dark smirk._

 _Lorelei recoiled. "You said-!"_

 _"_ _Yes. I will let your little group of friends go. Four of them, that is,"_ he _told her._

 _"_ _Like hell!" She shouted back._

 _"_ _Now, now. Unless you want me to kill them all?"_ He _cooed._

 _"_ _Renren," Rolo whispered. "Pick me."_

 _"_ _What?! I can't—"_

 _"_ _You can," Rolo whispered again, voice weakened, then smiled at his friends. "Leo, Sho, Cornelia, Karin. Renren… no, Lorelei. Thanks for everything. It was fun."_

 _A choked sob escaped Lorelei's throat. Rolo wrapped her hand around his dagger and brought it to his throat. With his hand on top of hers, she plunged the dagger into his throat. Almost immediately his eyes turned glassy and lifeless. Rolo was dead._

Lor bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from crying. She killed Rolo. He was their nakama, and she killed him. She couldn't face her nakama, if she even had the right to call them that anymore.

Bang. Bang! BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANG! BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

Lor raised her head a little, glancing over at the door. Deciding it was alright to ignore whoever it was at the door, she lowered her head again, resting her forehead on her knees.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

But apparently the person at the door thought otherwise.

Annoyed, she pressed herself tighter against the wall. The room fell silent, and she let out a small sigh of relief…

Too soon.

Something clicked and the door opened. Footsteps drew closer, but she didn't bother to look up. If they wanted something, they would say so.

"Get up," Law ordered, scowling down at the girl.

He wasn't happy with her. Full of secrets, never obeying orders, close relationships with a Yonko, knowledge about marines and the shichibukai, sexual relations with Smoker (a _marine_ ), a devil fruit that turned her into a mermaid, well known enough for _Kidd_ and _Rayleigh_ to notice, and an unknown relationship with 'Leo' and 'Sho', enough for her to react like that to their appearance. And on top of that, she was moping like a child throwing a tantrum, locking herself in her room!

She was _his_ cook. _He_ had her heart, even if it was only literally. _He_ should know everything, should be the only one who affected her emotions, should be the only one she paid attention to.

He felt the little voice squeaking something about feelings, the disembodied voice trying to return from the dead, but it wasn't fully back yet and he was too furious to bother with it.

" _Get up_!" Law repeated through gritted teeth when he saw that she hadn't moved.

"I don't take orders," she said, voice muffled.

He grabbed her by the collar and yanked her up, shoving her so she stood, back against the wall. "You are acting like a spoiled brat."

She smirked, eyes mocking. "You've thought of me like that since day one, so why are you so upset over it now?"

Law's eyes flashed. He hated being made fun of just as much as he hated being ordered around. His tone low and dangerous, he said, "Watch your tone, _hostage_. Nobody speaks to me like that."

"I could return those words to you, _Trafalgar_ ," she returned, an angry undertone to her normally emotionless voice. "I know you're dangerous, but at least I know what your capabilities are. But you know nothing about me, do you? I had earned my bounty just as much as you had."

"I know enough about you," Law retorted, lying through his teeth.

"Do you? Do you know how many pirates I've killed? Do you know I had been a marine for four years?" She mocked. "Oh wait. You care less about that stuff than you care about how many men I've slept with, right?"

She knew that if he decided to kill her, it would be a race to see who could move first. But she didn't care. A depressed state was not the best one to be in when dealing with one of the Worst Generation. It was suicidal. The small rush of adrenaline accompanied the daredevil act, and at the moment, she really didn't care if he decided to kill her.

And Law was a hair's breadth away from doing it too. Sure, he was shocked at the information—a marine?!—but…

"And how many men _have_ you slept with, _hostage_?" He breathed, barely controlling himself from throttling her.

"None of your business."

 _CRACK!_

Lor's head hit the wall. Law's fingers curled around her throat, a feral snarl on the man's face. Her face twisted in pain for only a second before her eyes opened, and she smirked at him. Law felt anger boil in his gut. He was the one in the dominant position here, the one who could snap her neck at any moment. Yet she was acting like it was the opposite. Her eyes stared through him, confident. Did she think he wouldn't kill her? Couldn't?

Law's lips twisted into a smirk, dark and infuriated. "You don't seem to understand your position here. _I'm_ the master. I decide what to do with your life."

Her smirk only widened, fueling his anger.

Lifting her by the collar, he pulled her into the air until her toes were dangling, before ramming her into the floor. He felt a stab of sadistic satisfaction when he heard the _BANG_ and the subsequent gasp as the air was forced out of her lungs.

She tried to get up. He wasn't about to let that happen. Grabbing her arms, he wrestled her back to the floor. A knee pushed between her legs, forcing them apart.

He glanced at her face, to see a flash of terror in her eyes. Law smiled grimly. Good. Once he scared her a little, she would learn not to mess with him. She fought back, but he moved her arms over her head, latching onto both wrists with one hand.

"Stop…" She whimpered.

He ignored her. He wouldn't rape her. No matter how cruel his reputation, that was one of the few things he would not do. But that didn't mean he couldn't scare her into submission.

His hand went to her side, running up her side until it reached her neck.

"Stop!" She struggled more now, the terror obvious in her face.

But Law wasn't done. Just a little more. She had been spoiling for a fight, and now she got one. She just hadn't expected to be the one losing, and now that she was, she was afraid.

The hand traveled down from her neck, between her breasts…

"Onii-chan… Help…" Lor bit her lip, averting her eyes.

…and down her navel…

"Don't, please. Don't! HELIOS, STOP!"

Law recoiled as if he had been burned, eyes wide with shock. He watched, speechless, as Lor curled into a ball, protecting herself. He felt bile rise up in his throat. Oh shit. He didn't… He didn't think…

Whoever this Helios was, it was obvious what he had done to her.

Law felt his anger disappear as if it had never been there. What the hell had he been thinking?! Damn it. How old had she been when… Damn it!

"H-hey, you okay?" He asked softly, hesitantly reaching towards her.

But before he could touch her, she flinched away, and Law's hand shot back towards him. His gut broiled, the man disgusted with himself. He would never rape a woman. He knew that. But she didn't. And he had just reminded her of the man who would and did do such a vile thing.

It wouldn't surprise him if she hated him now. Involuntarily, a pained expression crossed his face.

Shit.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Thanks to xxRyuu-himexx, Jamie-lin, Mandkiva, and DollyKat for the favs/follows!

A question for my readers: I can either end the story around chapter 20, give or take two or three chapters, or I could bring in more of the antagonists/conflicts I had planned. So the question is do you want the story to continue, or should I just end it there?

"Hey—"

"…"

Ignored. Again. Lor practically dropped his plate in front of him before retreating, never once looking at him. Law sighed, turning his attention to his plate of food. He poked at a pea with his fork, watching it run across the plate to avoid being stabbed, until it landed in the gravy and drowned. He sighed again.

Bepo glanced curiously at his captain. In fact, almost everyone in the mess hall was watching their interaction. Or lack of. The tension between Lor and Law had been building in the past three days, and it wasn't the good kind either. Law had become increasingly irritable with the crew, and more so with every time he tried and failed to interact with the cook. And Lor? She obviously avoided the captain, and practically everyone else. When she wasn't in the kitchen she was locked in her room, either at the inn or on the sub, depending on where Law _wasn't_.

The captain probably tried to ask her about it, and she probably didn't want to answer.

"Hey, Lor, you look like you just rose from the dead," Kuzuri joked, trying to get a rise out of her, even if it was just a sarcastic quip. "I thought noble girls are supposed to be picky about their appearances?"

She stared blankly at him. "Sorry."

Kuzuri recoiled, staring in shock as she walked away. Penguin and Shachi patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. He looked plaintively at them. "Did I do something wrong?"

"She's probably still upset from what happened at the bar," Penguin told him.

"Yeah. Who were those guys anyways?" Shachi continued.

"She looked close to them," Kuzuri said, then winced. "I never want to hear someone scream like that again."

"I didn't think she could even make that kind of expression," Penguin murmured.

"Was one of them a lover?" Shachi mused.

Immediately his two friends pounced, clapping their hands over his mouth, desperate expressions on their faces. Shachi fell off the bench in shock, the navigator landing on top of him, hands still on his mouth. Penguin had moved back, making sure he didn't fall with them.

"Mphrr!" Shachi shouted, eyes wide.

"Don't say that!" Kuzuri hissed. "Captain will kill you! Well, he'll kill them first then kill you!"

Then realizing that their captain could have heard Shachi's thoughtless comment, he glanced up and at their captain, making sure he hadn't heard the mechanic. When Kuzuri saw Law's expression, he was quite sure that the man hadn't heard. Everyone was staring at the trio in curiosity and some amusement, even Law. Kuzuri was sure that if Law had heard, the expression on the man's face would either be fury, or even a blank expression that said a lot about how the man was trying to school his anger.

"You do realize that you look like a yaoi couple into bondage and exhibitionism, right?" Penguin asked, trying to hold in his laughter.

Kuzuri and Shachi stiffened for a moment before Kuzuri leapt off the mechanic, face twisted in disgust. He wiped his hands off on his boiler suit pants.

Once Kuzuri was off of him, Shachi got to his feet, shooting Penguin a dirty look. "Next time you want to borrow money to buy a whore, don't come to me."

Penguin shrugged. "I'll go to Bepo."

Shachi stuck his tongue out at his best friend. Penguin returned the motion. That started a squabble, the two mechanics wrestling on the floor. Kuzuri stepped out of the way, grabbing his plate to move to the table where Lor and April sat, as far from Law's table as possible.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked the girls.

April blinked once at him, then nodded. He sat down next to her. The two stared at Lor, as if the answers to their questions would miraculously appear on her face. If she noticed their burning desire to ask, she didn't show it. Either way, they were curious people. And they weren't the quiet type either. They would ask sooner or la—

"So? Who was that hotti— Er… Who were those two?" April demanded, keeping her voice low. "Back at the bar, I mean."

"Leo and Sho."

"Which is which?"

"Leo's the one with the dark hair, and Sho the brown haired one," Lor said.

April immediately sighed. Kuzuri glanced over, expecting to see disappointment and irritation at Lor's straightforward, disinterested answers. But he was taken aback. The sigh wasn't for Lor. That much was obvious.

The girl had hearts in her eyes, her face glowing. And it wasn't just the faint blush either. A lovesick smile sat on her lips. April's eyes were sparkling, the faraway look telling everyone that she was already daydreaming about her future with the guy.

"Oi. You just broke up with captain," Kuzuri muttered.

"Oh, him? He was forever ago," April said, waving a dreamy hand at him.

"It was two weeks ago!" Kuzuri yelped. "I thought you loved him!"

If women fell in and out of love this quickly, he never wanted one. He didn't notice Lor flinch, the man focused on his captain's ex-girlfriend.

"Yup! Loved. As in past tense. I probably only had a major crush anyways. It can't have been love. Besides, he never loved me, so why should I continue to mope over him? It's life! Plenty of fish in the sea!" April practically sang.

Kuzuri inched away from her, a conflicted look crossing his features.

"So tell me more about Leo! You liked him before, right? You dated, right? So what's he like? Personality? Likes? Dislikes? What's his type?" April asked, grabbing Lor's hands and grinning like the Cheshire.

Lor made a sound of protest as her fork clattered out of her hand. She stared almost mournfully at her food. She wanted to eat!

Kuzuri jumped, looking over to his captain in fright. Great. Shachi jinxed them, his words coming true. He saw an array of emotions play out over his captain's face. Rage, confusion, rage, hurt, hesitation, rage, realization, rage, hurt, nothing. The captain's face went blank. Kuzuri shuddered at the thought of what the sadistic Surgeon of Death could have running through his mind.

But nobody else seemed to notice. Especially not Lor. Kuzuri thought, for a brief moment, that he wished she had seen Law's face. Then she would believe that Law liked her. Instead, she looked up into April's shining eyes, and sighed.

"Let go. I wanna eat," she said.

"Only if you tell me!" April insisted, pouting.

"Fine."

Beaming, April released Lor's hands, and the girl immediately returned to her food. The grin slowly disappeared as Lor ate instead of answering, but when Lor looked up again, the grin returned full-force.

"Leo's full name is Landen Leo, epithet 'Black Prince'. His bounty was 300 million beli the last time I checked. His devil fruit deals with peoples' intentions. He can tell if someone is telling the truth, and he can manipulate their intentions and change their actions accordingly. I think he's still single. He's not the type to go for flings or get involved with someone he doesn't love," Lor sent April a warning glance at this, before continuing, "He's sweet. He believes in chivalry and treating women right. Actually we all do, probably because of the captain. He likes chess and things that stimulate the mind, he doesn't like violence. Enough?"

"Did you sleep with him?" April asked.

Kuzuri stiffened again, feeling his captain drilling holes into them with his glare.

"Sleep sleep? Yes. Sex, no," April answered.

Kuzuri relaxed. Law was no longer glaring, not even looking in their direction, but he just _knew_ all of Law's attention was on them. He suddenly felt the urge to move to another table, regretting his decision to move here.

"So what happened?" Kuzuri asked. "Why'd you react like that?"

Wrong question. She stiffened, her movements gaining an edge. "I did something, now they hate me."

"But you didn't want to do it. You regret it. So they shouldn't hate you," Kuzuri pressed.

Lor dropped her fork and stared straight into Kuzuri's eyes. He felt his body freeze, his breath getting caught in his lungs. The emotions that were in her eyes…

"If you killed Bepo today, even accidentally, what would the crew do?"

Kuzuri slowly let out the breath, mind trying to process the question. "I… I see. So you killed someone?"

She didn't answer. She didn't need to. He didn't ask how you could accidentally kill someone. He had to wrap his mind around the fact that she had killed someone. The innocent little noble bratling had killed someone.

Then a realization pierced through his thoughts, fighting to the surface. "Do you love him? Leo, I mean. Otherwise you wouldn't have reacted like that…"

He trailed off, unsure. If she said yes, he had no idea how the captain would react.

"Yes. Leo, Sho, Cornelia, Karin, Mi—" She cut herself off before she could mention the name that would surely set off the crew. "And… Rolo…"

She stood abruptly, signaling that she was done answering questions. Kuzuri could only watch her retreat to the kitchen. He glanced at his captain, who had a strange expression on his face. Kuzuri shook his head, sighing, then looked at April. Her expression, too, was interesting.

How was it possible to make an expression that mixed worry, curiosity, and lovesickness?

Law waited. The crew finished eating and brought the plates to the kitchen, then left. Law stayed seated, waiting for the mess hall to empty, Bepo next to him.

"Bepo, go back to work. I'll take our plates in," Law ordered.

"But—" Bepo began, worried about the tension between the captain and cook, but when Law shot him a look, he apologized and ambled away.

Law stood, stretching a little, preparing for confrontation. He sauntered into the kitchen.

"Wash these too," he ordered.

She simply took the plates, carefully avoiding touching him, and plunged them into the hot water.

"Make onigiri tomorrow for breakfast," he ordered, watching her as she sped through the dishes, cleaning them efficiently.

She nodded, only slightly.

"Answer me," Law snapped, reaching out to grab her shoulder.

 _I don't take orders_ , he expected. But she only flinched away from his touch. His fingers stopped an inch from her, then retreated, his hand falling to his side.

"Yessir," she said softly, eyes averted.

Law flinched. She put the last dish in the rack. He moved aside, letting her walk away. He knew that her new character was the result he had desired when he tried to scare her. But now that he got it… If this was what it took to get her submissive and docile, to obey his orders and stop antagonizing him…

He wanted her old self back. This wasn't the Lor he knew and lov—

Law froze, eyes wide with shock. He… His cook… He collapsed against the counter, a tornado of thoughts in his mind.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thanks and waterflygirl for the follow/fav.

Apple Bloom: lol...

He had to talk to her. He couldn't feel lo—the 'L' word—towards her. He was a pirate, for goodness sakes. He didn't have any romantic interests—at sea, they could only get messy. He was feared. One of the Worst Generation. The Surgeon of Death. The cruel and sadistic pirate captain...

In deep shit with his cook.

Law caught sight of Lor in the halls the next afternoon. He needed her to stop ignoring him. Even if it meant apologizing. He caught up with a few long strides, despite her attempt to quicken her steps and escape him.

"Hey, just talk to me, will you?"

"…"

"I wasn't going to rape you!"

"…"

"I didn't know you had some kind of trauma! But I swear, I wasn't going to do anything to you."

"…"

He knew he shouldn't, since he was the one in the wrong, but he felt irritation rise. "Fine, so I was trying to scare you a little. I wasn't going to do anything!"

"Go to hell."

He finally got a response, but it only served to make him furrow his brows. "Look, I'm trying to apologize! You're being unreasonable."

She stopped. Law overshot her a few steps, and doubled back to stand in front of her.

She stared at him for a moment, looking straight at him for the first time in days.

"You're right. I'm sorry… Can I correct myself?"

Law blinked in surprise at the sudden meekness. He nodded, a little hesitant, his heart pounding in curiosity and apprehension. He was slightly taken aback when she glared.

"Go fuck yourself with that huge ass sword of yours, and _then_ go to hell." She held his gaze for a moment, eyes betraying her contempt, and stormed away.

Law flinched. So maybe he deserved that.

But it didn't mean he liked it.

What would it take for her to stop hating him?

The little voice, fully revived from the dead now, poked at him, telling him what he already knew. But he ignored it, trying to find another option.

An apology didn't work—the little voice grew a twin which told him he never really apologized, and he ignored it too—so what else? What did girls like?

Gifts.

He headed out into town, noting that he should avoid the Red Haired Pirates, especially Shanks. Why were they still there anyways? Once he was done, he returned to the sub. Checking to make sure that his cook was not in her room, he snuck in, left a card and gift on her bed, and quickly retreated before anyone could catch him where he shouldn't be. It was his sub, but that didn't mean he could go into someone's room and invade their privacy.

He listened for his cook to return. He knew for sure it wasn't April—the girl had taken to living in the inn, almost never returning to the sub. Probably in hopes of seeing that Leo person again.

Lor's door opened, shut. He waited. He'd tried this with April before, and one other girl. They had immediately burst into his room, his apology accepted, and they proceeded to make up. Passionately.

He didn't really need the last part, as long as she accepted his apology.

She burst into his room.

He nearly smirked, but didn't…

And was glad he didn't.

The card was shoved into his mouth, and the flowers dumped onto his head. He sat there in shock as she exited, slamming the door shut behind her, flower petals and leaves floating down around him.

A scowl formed on his face. He spat out the card and threw the things into the trash with all his might, taking his anger out on the objects. Plan failed.

"Captain—" Bepo entered, intending to ask a question, but paused, sniffing the air. "Captain, why do you smell like flowers?"

"Shut up," he snapped.

"I'm sorry…"

Law paced the room. "How do you apologize to a girl?"

Bepo stared. "If it's Lor, you could give her heart back."

"Except that."

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because?"

"Bepo…" Law growled.

"I'm sorry," the bear said, a picture of contrition. "Why don't you just say you're sorry?"

He glared at the bear.

"Gifts?" Bepo squeaked.

Law gestured to the rubbish bin.

"Keep trying?"

Law sighed, anger draining away. Girls were supposed to be simple. Sure, they got mad for no reason, and it was complicated thinking about what made them angry, but regaining their favor was simple. So what the heck was his cook? Was she some other species? He had never met a female this difficult to figure out.

The little voice went past poking, to outright shaking him, adding in a few slaps for effect. He sighed again. Then he realized the bear was still in the room.

Law raised an eyebrow at the bear. "Did you need something?"

"I forgot," the bear said and left.

Law blinked at him, and sat down, his head in his hand, staring out at nothing in particular. He didn't want to do what the little voice said. Anything but that.

The next day he got another bundle of gifts. One of them had to work.

Every few hours he left something for her, with an apology card.

Food—stuck into the fridge with 'Belongs to captain. Do not touch.'

Chocolates—dropped back at his door.

Candy—given to Bepo

A necklace—on the bright side, his lamp now looks very pretty.

He was quickly running out of options. Did she really hate him that much? It stung, especially now that knew he liked her. And he could bet that a confession was the worst way to get into her good graces. Especially not after his mistake. He flopped back onto his bed with a groan, a hand covering his eyes.

Wasn't there anything else? Anything?

Well, there was one thing left, and he hoped it would do the trick. He _really_ hoped so. He began thinking, running through the words he could use.

Law got up and moved to his desk, grabbing a pen and a clean sheet of paper. There weren't any options left. His cook had never met his expectations, and instead did exactly what he didn't want, but this time… Maybe this time…

Even if it was just this once, he wanted her to do exactly what he wanted.

He sat down and started writing.

That night he left the final gift and letter at her door.

Lor yawned as she opened her door. She had to go fix breakfast, but she needed coffee before that. Her captain would scold her for her coffee obsession, but she could retort with his wine obsession. He always shut up after that.

Before she could take a step out the door, her foot hit something. She glanced down, knowing exactly what to expect. She was right. Lor groaned softly. Didn't he know how to give up? She would forgive him on her own time—or not.

She picked it up, retreating into her room and closing the door. She took the letter first, turning it over in her hand before opening it.

 _'_ _Dear Lor,'_

She paused for a moment, rereading the line to make sure she didn't misread. He used her name. For the first time. Ignoring the quickened tempo of her heart—she was still mad at him—she scowled. _Now_ he decides to use her name? She continued reading.

' _I know you don't want to talk to me, so I'll just say it in this letter instead. I'm sorry. I didn't know. If I had known, I wouldn't have tried anything, but that's not an excuse._

 _I never intended to go through until the end. I was just frustrated that you never did what I expected you to, and my jealousy drove me over the edge._ _I just couldn't stand the thought that other men have had your affections when you've hated me from the beginning._ _I regret trying to scare you like that. I really do._

 _I don't know if you'll forgive me after this. I really hope you do. No matter what you think, and no matter how many times I say that you are nothing but a hostage, you are a part of my crew. I don't care if you were a marine, as long as you forgive me and stay a part of my crew._

 _Please._

 _I'm sorry._

 _Forgive me._

 _Love,_

 _Trafalgar Law'_

Lor hesitated a little when she finished the letter. It was sincere. That much she knew. She also detected undertones, but she didn't know if she could trust her interpretation of those. Then she turned to the box. Hesitantly she opened it, revealing exactly what she thought it would be. Trafalgar would not beg for no reason.

Gently taking the beating organ into her hand, she unbuttoned her top and pushed her heart back into the hole. Immediately she felt the familiar beating in her chest.

She stood there, eyes closed, for a moment. Then she got to work.


	18. Chapter 18

The crew woke up to find something strange. Something was missing. And then it hit them. The smells of breakfast didn't waft through the sub like it did every morning. The kitchen was empty. Did Lor oversleep?

But when they checked her room it was empty.

A frantic look on his face, Kuzuri tore open the closet door. Empty. Under the bed. Empty. All her things were gone. She was gone.

Kuzuri stood, shocked.

She wouldn't just up and leave, would she? She was their friend. Nakama. And captain had her heart…

Captain!

Shooing everyone away from the door, Kuzuri moved across the hall to pound on the captain's room.

"Captain! Open up! Captain!" He shouted, practically punching the door as hard as he could.

The door opened suddenly, and Kuzuri barely stopped his fist in time to prevent it from punching Law in the nose. The man looked like he just rolled out of bed, which he had. His hair stuck up all over the place, and a glare sat on his face from having his sleep disturbed.

"What is it?" Law asked groggily.

"Where's Lor's heart?" Kuzuri asked.

Law's heart stopped. The glare on his face disappeared, replaced by a grim, disheartened look. She left. She really left. He'd hoped… He'd wanted…

But just as he knew she would, she left.

Not even a goodbye. No hesitation.

"Captain? Do you want me to track her?" Bepo asked, peering in from behind Kuzuri. The last time the girl had escaped, Bepo was asked to track her, so perhaps...

"No. We're going to town for breakfast. We leave once the log pose sets," Law ordered.

"But—" Kuzuri began to protest.

"No. She left. She's not coming back. We'll find a new cook. Deal with it," Law ordered, scowling.

Kuzuri shuffled his feet, upset. "Yes, captain."

"Bepo, go get April. The log pose sets in two hours. We leave immediately," Law ordered. "All of you, get to work!"

Law retreated back into his room and slammed the door behind him, leaving the crew shuffling their feet.

* * *

"Lor?" April gaped, staring the girl up and down, and caught sight of the bag. "You're leaving."

Lor only nodded.

"B-but why? I thought we were friends! I thought you liked Law!" April bit her lip.

"We are friends. You and Kuzuri and Penguin and Shachi and Bepo and the rest of the crew. But I was Trafalgar's hostage. Now that I have my heart back, I don't need to stay near him anymore," Lor answered.

"But… But you liked him! …Don't you?"

"I might have. But he ruined that." Lor hoped whatever sea gods would forgive her for the little lie. She was angry at him, but she still liked him. But she couldn't stay near him. Not now.

April blinked, the statement running over in her mind, then turning around and running through again. It completed several laps until it was panting and dragging before April realized the meaning.

"What did he do?!" April growled.

"Nothing much. Ask him," Lor said.

April snorted, and Lor glanced at her in mild surprise. That was the most unladylike thing she had ever heard from the girl.

"If it wasn't anything much you wouldn't leave," April rolled her eyes, then paused, expression turning thoughtful. "Actually, wait here. I'll come with you."

Lor blinked. "Huh?"

But April was already gone, running back into the inn to grab her things. Lor waited… and waited… Her feet were getting tired. Two hours later, April ran back out with several giant bags, face flushed in exertion, but with a wide grin spread across her face.

"Okay. So what's the plan?"

"Umm… I really don't think this is a good idea…"

April waved a hand at the girl. "It's fine. I don't know how to sail or cook or clean or fish or navigate, but I can learn. I have been watching the guys for two years, you know."

Lor sighed. Despite how easily she seemed to give up on Law, April was stubborn. She had to be, or she wouldn't have survived on a pirate ship for two years. Lor only shrugged and started towards the docks. Someone had to be willing to sell her a ship.

But fortunately, or unfortunately, she walked straight into Shanks. Again.

"Woah, lass. Did you develop a habit of walking into people?" He laughed, then glanced at the awed and frightened April. "And you seem to have multiplied."

"Old man, meet my friend April. April, meet this blind, one-armed old geezer," Lor introduced.

April nearly died from fright. Grabbing Lor's arm and yanking her out of Shanks' earshot, she hissed, "What are you thinking?! He's a Yonko. A Yonko! He could kill you without lifting a finger!"

"No he can't. And he won't."

"You don't mock a Yonko!" April squealed, voice rising in pitch with every word. Shanks cocked his head in curiosity, and April immediately lowered her voice. "And you definitely don't draw attention to people's… defects!"

"He has one arm. He knows it, I know it, you know it. It really isn't very _handy_. But I gotta _hand_ it to him, he's not that bad. In fact, he's _'_ _armless_ ," Lor stated matter-of-factly.

April practically fainted on her feet as Shanks mock glared, not seeing the way his lips were trying not to smile. Lor could almost see the woman's soul rising out of her body. She slapped April's back hard, and the soul bounced back in.

Shanks couldn't help it anymore. He laughed. "I don't know who you were teasin', lass. Me or her."

"Who said it couldn't be both?" She shot back.

"You're an evil one, lass. So? What did you come for?"

"I wasn't looking for you. I was going to buy a ship."

Shanks blinked. Lor pulled down her collar, revealing that she had her heart back, and Shanks immediately understood. "Why don't you come with us?"

Lor hesitated.

"Your old crew's here too."

Lor froze, eyes wide. Unconsciously she backed away a few steps, biting her lip. Shanks frowned. He thought she would be happy to see them again…

Lor let out a shaky breath and faked a smile, pushing April forward lightly. "You should take her. She's willing to learn, and she has a crush on Leo. I… I can't. I can't face them. Not after what I did."

Shanks' frown deepened. They were all saying the same thing. The four on his ship said they couldn't face her after she sacrificed herself, after they were unable to save her. And she was the one saying she couldn't face them? Mihawk had never given him details, and he had never pressed his new crewmates for answers. He respected their privacy. But he was starting to think he should ask questions.

"Then where will you go, lass?" Shanks asked gently. "I can't just let you go off on your own. And you can't go back to the marines again."

"I can. Go off on my own, I mean. I did it once before."

"I know _you_ can. But Mihawk will kill me," Shanks stated flatly. Then he sighed. "You can go back to Kuraigana, you know. And don't tell me you can't face Mihawk. And don't you _dare_ say he might hate you."

Lor, who had her mouth opened to say just that, shut her mouth with a snap. She shifted her feet, glancing up through her lashes at the red haired Yonko. "Do you really think so? That I can go back?"

"You're an idiot. For all your brains and sass, you're an idiot, little siren," Shanks chuckled. "Come on. I'll get you a boat. And I'll take that lass too. The crew will be happy to have another female on board."

"Shanks?" Lor smiled a little. "Thanks."

* * *

"Captain," Bepo said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"The log pose has set. And April's gone."

Law's eyebrows shot up. "Gone?"

"She left a note at the inn. She left."

Law sighed. Now both Lor and April were gone. "Do you know where?"

"She didn't say."

Law sighed again. Lor and April were probably together. It was a good thing, since Lor would not act like an idiot if she had to protect April, but she might also leave April behind. But where…

His eyes shifted out the window. Of course!

Law walked off his sub with long strides, but not before leaving the order to take off once he returned. With or without the girls. He used room to land in the middle of Red Force, wondering if he was making a very stupid mistake. The ship seemed to freeze for a moment before the crew turned, laughter gone, all weapons pointed at the Supernova.

"I assume Shanks-ya is here," Law said, voice never betraying his raw nervousness.

"You assume right," a voice called out as the red haired Yonko sauntered out from his cabin.

Law felt a wave of Conqueror's Haki run over him, and he shuddered. Shanks smirked a little, slightly impressed.

"I believe you have something of mine. Perhaps two," Law stated, quirking an eyebrow, a smirk on his lips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. But I would politely ask you to get off my ship."

Law heard the warning in the Yonko's voice loud and clear. All the little voices in his head were screaming at him to run. But despite what he had said to his crew, he wanted _his_ cook _back_.

"Room."

Shanks' crew tensed as the blue sphere covered them, but Shanks barely blinked. He laughed, a sound of mockery rather than the usual full-hearted laugh. Shanks shook his head in amusement at the rookie who had the guts to pull something like that in enemy territory. But then again, if Lor liked him, he should be able to pull of something like this.

But there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and Trafalgar Law was tiptoeing on the edge.

"Rookie, lad, you only took and kept the heart of the little siren because she let you. When you can't even handle someone whose bounty is barely higher than yours, what makes you think you can handle a Yonko and his crew single handedly?" Shanks asked, a confident smirk on his lips.

Law cocked his head. "I highly doubt that she can do something like that. My bounty is not for show."

"Lad," Shanks grinned, showing too many teeth for it to be a real smile. "You really have no idea what you had on your little submarine, do you."

"She said that too," Law shrugged. "She knows a Yonko, the shichibukai, the marines, and Dark King Rayleigh. She may not be small fry, but neither am I."

"Lad, if all the marine Admirals, Yonko, and Shichibukai were in one place, she could drop them all without lifting a finger. _That's_ how strong her devil fruit abilities are. What makes you think she couldn't have taken back her heart at any moment?" Shanks smirked at the stunned expression on the rookie's face. "I do have one of your girls, but the little siren went home."

"She went… back to the marines?" Law managed to say.

"No. She went _home_."


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Thanks, DawnPirates, for liking my story.

I forgot to ask this. As the author I can either let Ace die, or save him. What do you think? Stick to canon, or save Ace? Even if I do save him, he won't stay in this story for very long. A chapter at most. But at least he won't be dead...

Lor lay on her back in the boat Shanks had given her, humming a song as the boat sped along. In mid-air.

Alright, so it wasn't mid-air, exactly.

But on top of a sea king's head, high above the ocean surface, it still counted, right?

Her hand held an eternal log pose pointing towards Kuraigana Island. Every member of Mihawk's former crew had one, as did Shanks. Normally the trip would have taken a few days by sea, even by sub. The winds do not comply with sailors' wishes, the clouds decide when to storm, and the waves can always threaten to capsize the ships. Especially such a small one. She really had no idea how Mihawk managed to sail the Grand Line in his coffin boat, when a storm would probably sink him. But then again, if he swung his sword the storm would probably part for him.

So Lor took the safe route. Pirates and marines normally avoid sea kings, but she liked to use them in her favor. A little song enchants them, and she can then order them to follow her directions. They get her to her destination quickly and safely. Of course, she rewards them with food in the end.

Alternating between riding sea kings and the waters was how she had arrived at Kuraigana the first time anyways.

When the island finally neared, the sea king crooned an alarm, and she sat up. She couldn't help but smile a little as the familiar rocks and trees came into view, and from her height, she could barely glimpse the tips of Mihawk's castle peeking over the trees. The sea king slowly halted and lowered her, able to go no further into the increasingly shallow waters.

"Thank you," she said.

Grabbing the large sack of raw meat she had bought for just this purpose, she heaved it up and tossed the contents into the air. With a snap of its jaw, the sea king gulped down the treat and left. Lor started rowing.

It was almost déjà vu when she dragged the boat onto the sand, far enough to avoid high tide, and grabbed all her belongings to begin the trek to the castle. The humandrills recognized her. Of course they did. If they had bad memories they would never have learned how to use weapons, and wouldn't get better with each moment they fought someone.

But this time they didn't approach her. She didn't even need to use her voice. Instead, a man appeared around the bend. She smiled a little. He returned it.

But before he could open his mouth to greet her, she stuck out her arms like a child that wanted its parents to hold it. "Mama!"

Mihawk froze, mouth agape. He blinked once, twice at her.

" _Mama?!_ " Was the strangled sound that came out of the swordsman's throat.

She stared at his face for a second, keeping her expression completely serious, until she couldn't hold it in anymore. She broke into giggles, clutching her aching stomach. He was really a lot of fun to tease. Shanks too. They were surprisingly similar, even if they would never admit it.

Mihawk could only sigh. "Welcome home, Lorelei."

They were in his kitchen before they spoke again. And that was after Mihawk sat on a chair with his feet on the table and a glass of wine in his hands. Also after Lor had gone through the pantry, the fridge, and the basement storage.

"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow at Mihawk. "Do you live off wine and bread?"

He shrugged. "Only for the past year. Since everyone left. And I could always sail somewhere for other food."

Lorelei slapped her forehead. How did he live the thirty-something, forty years before he gained his crew? Making a mental note to scrub down the castle—the crew had shared that job—and stock up the kitchen, she made two sandwiches out of the food she had brought and the hard bread in Mihawk's pantry.

They ate without a word. When they finished, it was a different matter.

"Captain… About R…Ro…"

"His grave is here," Mihawk said quietly. "I buried him in the backyard."

"O-oh. Did you hear about…?"

"They told me what happened."

"Oh."

There was a silence for awhile, Lor looking down at her hands, and Mihawk sipping his wine while studying her.

"I should probably go now," Lor said, rising, never meeting Mihawk's gaze.

" _Chica_ , sit down," Mihawk commanded, but his tone was gentle. "It wasn't your fault. Nobody thinks it's your fault except you."

"They hate me now. They have to."

"They don't," Mihawk said firmly.

"Then why did they run." It should have been a question, but it came out as a statement. She knew why. She didn't need Mihawk confirming it.

"Because they felt guilty for not being able to help you," came the answer she had never expected. Lor glanced up with shock, meeting Mihawk's sharp golden eyes. Hawk's eyes. Mihawk sighed, "I am sorry too, _chica_. If I had been there none of this would have happened, and the man would be dead."

Lor gasped sharply. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, painful tears welling up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She ducked her head to stare at her hands. She found her hands trembling. She didn't want Mihawk to see her like this. Weak.

"We can visit his grave later. Maybe offer something other than bread and wine."

Startled, Lor smiled, then laughed a little. Her tears were gone. "Yeah. Once we fix up the sorry state of your pantry."

Mihawk let out a breath, relieved. He was a gentleman and a pirate and a swordsman. He didn't know how to deal with crying girls. He picked up the newspaper, now that the crisis has passed.

Until he heard her stiffen.

"Are they insane?" Lor breathed.

Mihawk lowered the paper just far enough to raise his eyebrow at her. She stood, moving behind him, and flipping the papers over. The headlines glared in their faces. Fire-fist Ace would be executed at Impel Down. The marines were declaring war on Whitebeard.

Mihawk shrugged. "I agree."

"You knew?"

"I was ordered to go help the marines." He felt her stiffen again. "You knew from the start that I was a shichibukai, _chica_."

She sighed, placing an elbow on Mihaw's shoulder and resting her head on her hand. "I know, captain. But I don't like them dragging you into their stupidity."

"Are… You're not coming."

"I am. You're going."

" _Chica_ …" Mihawk said in a warning tone.

" _Captain_ ," she mimicked. Then she sighed. "I don't know Ace, and I don't know Straw Hat. I dislike the marines, but if you're going, I'm going. You're my captain."

"No. I'm not. I'm not anybody's captain. I lost that right a year ago," Mihawk said, voice tight.

"It wasn't your fault. Nobody thinks it's your fault except you," Lor repeated his line back at him. "We all know that you would have sliced them into pieces if you were there. And we all knew that you would have been there if you hadn't been at a shichibukai meeting."

"I could have skipped it."

Lor rolled her eyes. "You didn't know."

Mihawk was silent for a moment.

Lor got off him, changing the subject, "Should we get groceries?"

Mihawk stood, draining his wine in one go and stretching. He winced as the chair screeched across the stone floor, raising a small cloud of dust.

"You know, those humandrills learned to fight by mimicking humans, right?" Lor suddenly asked. Mihawk cocked his head, wondering where she was going with this. "If we taught the humandrills how to clean…"

The swordsman grinned. "We could try. But I doubt they are willing to come near me."

Lor only sighed. "What a waste."


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: A note to purists-I will not be exactly following canon. That would be boring, and Lor would not need to be there. If you wanted canon, you would have rewatched the anime or read the manga.

...Besides, like Sabaody, I haven't watched this far yet. I know I should catch up, but the last time I watched, it was up to Alabasta and that was a long long time ago... Also, I'm not all that good at writing fight scenes. The next few chapters have a lot of fighting, so I'll do my best.

Impel Down. It was the hell for pirates, haven for marines. Normally pirates would never be able to step foot in there and then leave, but it was war. Many pirates would enter and leave, many would enter and die.

Lor wondered, briefly, if those who entered and died would get a proper burial. Probably, if their crews took them and left. Definitely not, if they were left behind for the marines to bury. She glanced back at Fire-fist Ace. He seemed to know that, and to hate the idea. He didn't want the people he cared about dying for him. She wouldn't either, but it couldn't be helped. The marines were cunning. He was just an excuse. Bait.

" _Chica_ , focus," Mihawk commanded, drawing the attention of all the shichibukai present to her.

Boa Hancock scoffed. "I can't believe you brought a little girl to a war. And I thought you were a gentleman."

"I came on my own will. I follow my captain," Lor shot back.

"Poor girl, tricked and tainted by men," Hancock sighed.

Lor opened her mouth to retort, but a look from Mihawk shut her up. This wasn't the place for a verbal battle. They were here.

The battle began, and it was chaos. A phoenix, giant waves of ice, earthquakes… The battle had everything, and it was a sight she knew nobody wanted to miss. But at the same time, only idiots unrelated to anything would want to be there. She followed her captain. Her captain followed marine orders as a shichibukai. The other pirates were there to save Ace. Nobody would be there just to watch, just to enjoy the chaos. Pirates could be dumb sometimes, but most were not suicidal.

Within minutes Lor was covered with blood, her knives only clean because she wiped them off on her kills.

Screams sounded all over the place, pirates and marines falling dead like flies. It was an all-out war, just to save one man. As she cut down everyone who got near her, Lor glanced over at Fire-fist Ace. If it were someone else, someone she cared about up there, would she do the same?

Probably.

But it wouldn't be a war.

The moment she used her devil fruit powers, the war would be over, before it even started.

She could save him. Ace. She could use her devil fruit and stop everything. Freeze everyone. Then what? When she was singing, she was the only one who could move. But she wouldn't have legs, so she couldn't really move anyways. She could give orders… and then?

She didn't know Ace. She didn't know Whitebeard or Luffy. She didn't have a duty to save them. In this world the weaklings were killed. The strong ones survived until they met someone stronger, and then were killed. If you have allies that saved your life, kept you alive, then you would live a little longer. She was no different.

And Ace had many, many powerful allies. They would save him, even if it cost their lives. She was sure of it.

Right now she was with a shichibukai. An ally of the marines. Even if she was killing all the marines _and_ pirates that came near her. It did get a little tiring, but she couldn't complain. At least she was getting all the weaklings.

"Monkey D Luffy. I apologize to Shanks, but I will not hold back. I cannot allow you to pass," Mihawk stated.

Lor glanced over. Standing in front of her captain was the Straw Hat she had met only once before. But this Straw Hat Luffy was different from the one at the Auction. He was furious, determined.

"I don't have time to deal with you!" And with one burst of power, shot past Mihawk.

She couldn't see her captain's face, but she knew he barely blinked. Just has he barely reacted to the revelation of Luffy's parentage. Mihawk half turned, and with his eyes, gestured for her to move. She flicked her glance to Luffy and realized. She quickly moved to the side, further towards Mihawk. He swung the blade.

Bodies flew, sliced, until the slash reached Luffy and sent him flying into a wall. Mihawk dashes forward, only to stop in his tracks, two Newkama soldiers in the way. Lor leapt over Mihawk's head, engaging the two Newkama, and Mihawk shot past her.

"I cannot allow you to hinder my captain," she told them, monotone.

They stared at her in shock. "Mihawk is your captain?"

"He has a crew?!"

She didn't deem it necessary to reply. She merely crouched, ready to fight, and they complied.

Both of them charged her at once. She dodged the first, blocked the second. Two opponents at once was tricky, but she was used to it. Years of being a marine and pirate had gotten her used to fights, even without using her devil fruit.

Especially since she didn't like using her devil fruit in battle—it was unfair.

She watched their movements carefully. With a bound, she leapt over their heads. They lifted their eyes to watch her. Perfect. A spin accelerated her landing, and she landed lightly behind them. A hard strike to the temple of one and to the back of the other's neck finished the fight.

It was almost too easy.

She glanced over her shoulder.

Then her eyes widened. Was he _insane?!_ She watched, dazed, as the frozen wave shattered, the upper half crashing down. The ground shook, and she stumbled. Mihawk and Luffy didn't even seem fazed as they continued to fight. She shook her head in amusement at her captain, then turned back to her own fights… Only to freeze.

She should have known. This was a war. The marines declared war on Whitebeard. All the pirates allied with the Yonko would be here.

And all marine Admirals too.

Lor's heart started pounding, terror rising. She began hyperventilating. Lor ordered her heart to stop beating so fast, for herself to stop being afraid. It didn't make any sense for her to fear him. She knew she could defeat him.

Yet she was afraid. Terrified.

She ducked back into battle, hoping he wouldn't see her. Hoping he would just pass by, head in another direction, anything. But no. Monkey D Luffy was a high priority target, and he was in her direction.

Helios' gaze had been trained on Mihawk and the Straw Hat, but a flash of green caught his eyes. Well, well. He grinned. Who would have thought she would return to his hands on her own will? And in the middle of the war, nobody would have the time to save a measly little girl. Straw Hat was occupied at the moment, so it wouldn't hurt to have a little fun, now, would it?

Besides, if _she_ was here, she was just as high a priority as Monkey D Luffy, considering that she could stop everything and save the Pirate King's son. At least that's what the higher ups said. To him? She's nothing but a weak little girl.

"Well, if it isn't my dear fiancé. How are you doing, my dear?" Helios crooned. "It was a pity that you returned to the pirates, my dear. Do I have to… punish you again?"

He delighted in the sheer terror and hatred that conflicted in her eyes. He had nearly broken her twice. The first time, Smoker had rescued her, and she had escaped. The second time, he thought she had broken. The look in her eyes said she had broken. A normal person would have broken. Yet here she stood, a year later, the fire back in her eyes, shining past the fear.

What would it take to permanently break her? Would he have to kill everyone she cared about? Smoker, the Heart Pirates, the rest of her former shitty crew? It would be a little difficult, but doable. Pirates were always meant to die. Smoker was reckless enough to make it seem like an accident. And it would be even better if he forced her to watch. If she watched them die, she would probably break.

They always said third time was the charm.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: 

To xxOchibixx: At first I thought she might know them too, but she's Mihawk's crew. Not Shanks'. And I think the author just killed Ace so he wouldn't become pirate king... I mean he has the highest bounty out of the bunch, and is the man's son.

To draugs: An annoyed Law would be cute. And thanks! You're so sweet!

"Lor?" Law said, shocked.

He wasn't the only one. The crew stared in shock at the screen. It was their green haired cook at Impel Down, fighting. They could see her turn her head, glance at Mihawk, before she froze, and the screen moved away onto someone else.

But they didn't need to see anything else. Their cook was at Impel Down. They didn't know how or why. Their captain had said that she had gone home when she left. They doubted that Impel Down was anywhere near her home.

"Double speed," Law snapped. "Get to Impel Down as fast as you can!"

"Aye, sir!"

The crew ran to their stations.

Law let out a shaky breath. She was there.

* * *

Her body trembled. She tightened her grip on her daggers, feeling them turn cold from the lack of blood getting to her fingers. She knew that under the blood coating her hands, her own fingers were white, bloodless.

Lor fell into a crouch, staring cautiously up at the larger man.

She had fought him twice, lost twice. She would not lose a third time.

But the smirk on his face said he thought the exact opposite. He expected her to lose, to submit. But she won't. Never again. This time Mihawk was there, and even if he couldn't help, couldn't do anything, she won't let him see her this weak. He was her captain.

She made the first move. Ducking low, she covered the distance in a few long strides. The knife swiped up—he stepped back, and the tip of the blade missed by inches.

He sneered. "Is this all you've got? Why do they fear you so much? You're nothing but a weakling."

"Shut up!" She said, taking in a shaky breath.

She brought her knife up, only for him to draw his sword and parry, pushing her back with only one hand. She let out a shout as she performed a half spin, kicking out at his legs before slashing out at his throat. He only moved back, laughing. His sword fell. The knives caught them, her arms shaking from the effort.

He was barely trying.

He swung the sword, still locked to her knives, to the side. With a cry she fell off balance. She quickly tried to regain footing—only to freeze, the tip of his blade touching the bottom of her left breast.

"This is where I left the scar before, isn't it?" Helios mocked. "A shame, to mark that pretty skin. Then again, you've already been tainted long ago, haven't you."

He swung. She kicked back, dodging by a hair's breadth. For a moment she wondered how, in this crammed battlefield, that she could have so much room to move around. Then she realized. She was fighting an admiral. No idiot would want to get in the way and wind up accidentally dead.

Not that anybody here would wind up purposely dead.

Except Fire-fist, maybe.

"Hmm, do you really think you have so much time to focus elsewhere?" Helios mocked.

Like there was a snap in her head, her attention returned to Helios. He was confident. Overly so. Or else he would have attacked while she was thinking, rather than standing there with his sword resting on a shoulder.

Confidence. She could use it.

Lor fell to a knee, panting hard, a hand on the ground.

Helios smirked. He knew it. She was exhausted. She had been fighting for a long time, and he was fresh. He sauntered towards her, and used the tip of his sword to raise her head. Exhausted. Sweat ran down her face, creating streaks in the blood.

"Well, well," he said slowly. He lowered the sword, the tip lodging in the ground.

In a split second, Lor tensed and sprung, knife flashing. Helios fell back, screaming, clutching his bloodied eye.

"You little _bitch!_ " Helios yelled.

Lor smirked, backstepping out of his reach. One eye. She would have preferred his throat, but for now an eye would do.

Oh how she wanted to kill him slowly. After all he did to her, after he made her kill Rolo, she wanted to enjoy every moment. She wanted to torture him, kill him cut by shallow cut.

But she didn't have that luxury. She was tired, he wasn't. She was quick on her feet, but he had the advantage of reach and strength. If they locked blades again and he used his weight to his advantage, she was finished.

Especially now that she had made him more cautious than before.

Lor slowly circled him, chin low, feet ready to move in any direction at any moment. He mirrored the action. They watched each other, eyes predatory. Neither would be caught off guard.

The only difference was that she was desperate for his blood. He only wanted pleasure.

The changes in Lor's muscle movement were minute, ensuring that the man would not notice.

When he did, it was too late.

She sprung.

But he had good reflexes. He slammed his fist out, hitting her in the gut. She slid to a halt several feet away, gasping for air. She rolled onto her stomach, dry heaving. Damn. That would leave a bruise.

Then her eyes widened, the observation haki she had trained for long ago warning her. She rolled, just to have Helios' sword land where she had been mere moments ago. It would have sliced her in half.

She rolled again before getting her feet under her. On the ground was the worst place to be, and it wasn't because of all the blood and gore lying around like trash.

She panted, wincing at the pain in her midsection. Had she heard something crack? She hoped her adrenaline could keep her going until she finished everything.

Her eyes widened. Helios appeared in front of her faster than she believed possible. The tip of his blade dug into her arm, cutting a line through her bicep as she dodged.

Helios spun, one foot crunching down on her own foot, a fist backhanding her across her ribs. She let out a yell of pain. Her eyes flashed with realization. He was aiming for where he had hit before. And she knew for sure he had broken several ribs.

Damn it. Damn it! Again. She can't lose again!

She lay on the ground motionless. Everything hurt. She looked up at him with bleary eyes. A flick of her wrist. Helios grunted, pulling the knife out of his forearm and dropping it to the ground.

Lor dropped her head, preparing for pain.

It came.

He stepped on her upper back, crushing her against the ground. She screamed again as her cracked ribs shifted. Pain nearly blinded her, and she swiped out desperately with the remaining knife. It didn't hit flesh like she wanted, but the pressure on her back disappeared. Helios had dodged.

"Tch," he hissed.

Wrapping a fist in her hair, he pulled her up, dangling her by the green strands. Her scalp burned. She whimpered, hands grasping at his, trying to free herself. He shook her once, increasing the pain.

"That's enough out of you."

She bit down hard on her lip, averting her eyes. She didn't want to look at him.

A flash of yellow. No. It couldn't be. She was either hallucinating, or mistaking it for something else.

"LOR-YA!" A familiar voice shouted.

Lor turned, eyes widening in shock. No. He can't be here. He can't! She opened her mouth to shout back, but something hit her in the side of the head. She fell to the ground, Helios releasing her hair. She turned her gaze up, and saw that Helios had caught sight of the Hearts' captain.

An indecipherable yell of anger rang through the air.

Helios smirked.


	22. Chapter 22

"How sweet. Your little boyfriend came to get you. How many times did you have to sleep with him?" He lowered his face towards her, and she recoiled at his breath as much as she did his nearness. "Did you ever tell him you're an incestuous whore?

Lor tried to move away. But he only kicked her once in the ribs, earning a whimper. Helios put one knee on the ground. With a click, one wrist was cuffed in seastone. Lor felt her strength drain with every second.

"R-run," she whispered, but she knew Trafalgar couldn't hear.

" _Room_ ," Trafalgar's enraged voice said.

Helios moved out to meet the captain, a smirk on his face. "You must be Trafalgar Law, my dear fiancé's new crew. I wonder… Would she make the best expressions if I killed you in front of her, or if I made her kill you? Her expression back when I had her kill her crewmate _was_ quite wonderful. What was the boy's name? Rolly? Polly?"

"ROLO!" Came Lor's strangled cry.

Law's gaze flicked to her, but Helios barely twitched.

"You said something about a crew…" Law asked curiously. "She was a marine."

"She was. For three years before she became a pirate. And then another year, after I finally broke her. Or so I thought. But then _you_ came along. It was _you_ wasn't it. _You_ were the one who glued her back together and ruined my hard work," Helios sneered. "So I wonder if she'll break for good when I kill you."

Law smirked. "You can try."

Luffy and Whitebeard's crews were fighting their own battle, but now there was a mini war against Helios.

Helios struck first. Broadsword met nodachi in a clang, the pirate holding out against the marine despite the much leaner build. Sparks showered as metal met metal over and over.

Despite his size, Helios was faster than he looked. And as strong as he looked. Law didn't have time to use his operation room even though it was still in effect. They broke apart, but there was no time to breathe

Law rushed the larger man. He suddenly launched to the left right before reaching him and slashed. Helios blocked the blow with ease, and a slash sent Law skidding back.

Helios advanced with quick steps, the blade falling from above. Law sidestepped, just enough for the blade to pass a hairsbreadth away from him. He moved to attack, but before he could, Helios' foot lashed out. Law jumped back to avoid having his feet swept from under him.

But Helios wasn't done. A hard fist slammed into Law's stomach, knocking the wind out of the pirate. Law stood motionless, stunned, for a brief moment. But a moment was too long. The hilt of Helios' sword struck him in the back of his neck, knocking him to the ground. Lor grew horrified as Law lay motionless.

Law wasn't that easy to kill. He smirked. "Shambles."

He stood behind the marine Admiral, and while the man was still confused by the corpse that had replaced Law, the pirate lopped off an arm and sent it flying.

On second thought, he should have taken the head.

Without missing a beat, Helios roared and rushed the pirate, eager to finish him off. He didn't even seem to notice that his arm was gone, and impossible to find in a battlefield where detached arms and legs lay in abundance.

Law's nodachi struck out in a thrust, only to be countered with a rough slash. The broadsword was a heavy and unwieldy weapon. It should have been inconvenient for Helios to wield it with one hand, but he seemed unfazed, his movements as smooth and strong as before.

The two clashed in a strange yet beautiful dance across the blue dome, and once again, Law had no opportunities to fully use his room.

Cheers rang across the battlefield. Ace was saved. But the war was far from over. And neither man, engaged in the fight, noticed the increased morale of the pirates around them.

But Lor did. She glanced over, seeing Fire-fist Ace free, and his crew hauling him away as fast as they could. For a moment, she wondered why nobody was attacking her, a defenseless pirate alive on the ground. But nobody was bothering with the fallen. It was each man to his own, and there were too many opponents to bother with the ones who could no longer fight. Now that she properly looked around, Lor saw that many of those lying on the ground were dead, but just as many were dying or simply wounded and unable to fight.

Besides, who would willingly go near a blue dome obviously from a devil fruit?

She wasn't within it, of course. It could make the devil fruit react badly when her seastone cuff was within its perimeters. Law had carefully structured it so she remained outside. And speaking of Law, she turned her attention back to the battle.

Unfortunately the two men were even, Law bruised and bloodied, Helios missing an arm and bloodied. Law rushed forward, and once again, ducked to the side. But Helios was prepared, and swung. He was not, however, prepared for it to be a feint, as the action now exposed his back to Law after the pirate once again shot to the other side. Law slashed into his opponent's back, putting all his weight into the swing, creating a deep, bloody gash.

Helios roared again, this time with pain. He swung around, half blind with rage, and grabbed Law before throwing him violent across the ground. He skidded, bouncing once or twice before he rolled to a stop. He groaned when the pain set in.

He glanced up and his eyes widened in surprise.

He rolled backwards and avoided the thrust that dug into the ground. "Shambles!"

This time it was not so much a tactic as it was desperate, as the sword cut down again and again, each time cutting closer to his skin as he dodged. He caught his breath when he transported himself all the way across the dome.

He discovered, for the second time, that Helios was faster than he looked. In mere seconds he was back in battle, fighting desperately against the man. He wasn't an Admiral for nothing.

But the Admiral's swings were getting wilder, the man's rage and impatience reaching a new height. Law barely had time to breathe. Let alone dodge. But he was experienced enough, and had enough training in observation haki, to drop to the left when he felt danger approach. Just in time.

The blade smashed into the ground, sending particles of dirt flying up with the violence of the swing, where Law was standing a mere millisecond ago. Honorable opponents would have waited for the man to stand. Law would have, if only to toy with the opponent's psychosis. But Helios didn't. Only desiring Law's death, only desiring Lor's tortured expression, he pressed in for the kill.

Without lifting the blade from the ground, Helios dragged it along, increasing the pressure behind the blade before it exploded out, slamming into Law's nodachi. Still, despite the perfect block, it sent the lean pirate flying until he slammed into a man.

There was a small domino effect as the men collapsed. The blue dome disappeared, and Lor knew that the pirate captain was in trouble.

Law lay on top of the pile of humans, dazed. Helios advanced.

He didn't even care that he was cutting into comrades as his sword descended. Lor's breath caught in her throat at the spray of blood and dirt.

She could only breathe again when she saw Law, alive and in one piece, stumble out of the chaos and behind Helios. She saw Helios yank at the blade, and again, before he deemed it impossible. The man spun on his heel and advanced towards the pirate, unarmed, face red with fury.

Law raised his nodachi, but his head reeled and his feet were unsteady. One fist to the stomach bent him over, his limp fingers dropping his sword, and another fist to his head dropped the pirate.

It was over.

And Helios had won.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Sigh. Since nobody really reacted to the cliffhanger... Anyways, this is the last chapter OF THE ARC. The story will continue. But updates will probably come slower, since I mainly planned only up to here. The chapters that come later were from a jolt of inspiration while I was eating dinner... 

Thank you Your Guardian Angel In The Sky, LightFun27, and yuki0123 for following!

Helios smirked. Law knelt in front of him, bloodied, exhausted.

"Any last words, pirate?" Helios mocked.

Law smirked. "See you in hell."

Lorelei's eyes widened in horror. No. She can't… She can't lose anyone else!

"LAW!" Lor screamed, her free hand reaching out to the man.

The Heart captain's eyes flicked over in surprise. He chuckled wryly. Now she calls his name? It sounded nice coming from her lips. He wished it wasn't now, wasn't right before he died.

Mihawk glanced over at her. He had never seen such desperation in the girl's eyes. He suspected that it had been there only once before in her life, right before Rolo's death. He didn't want to see the baby of his crew look like that. Not now, not ever.

He swung Yoru, sending a cut flying towards the girl. Helios dodged to the side, swearing as he glared at Mihawk. But the shichibukai was paying no attention—he was busy cutting down pirates left and right.

Helios turned his attention back to the smirking Heart's captain kneeling before him on the ground.

While he was turned, the kamaitachi seemingly accidentally shattered the seastone cuff on her left wrist, at the same time clearing her path to Trafalgar Law.

Helios' blade rose.

But before he could decapitate the man, a green haired figure threw herself onto Law, shielding him with her body, her green mermaid tail sprawled out behind her. Her mouth opened, and the voice that came out of her mouth froze everything in a wave.

 _Mou anata kara aisareru koto mo, hitsuyou to sareru koto mo nai_

 _Soshite watashi wa koushite hitoribocchi de._

 _Ano toki anata wa nante itta no?_

 _Todokanai kotoba wa chuu wo mau_

 _Wakatteru no ni kyou mo shite shimau_

 _Kanawanu negaigoto wo_

 _Hanasanai de_

 _Gyutto te wo nigiteitte_

 _Anata to futari tsuzuku to itte_

 _Tsunaida sono te wa atatakakute_

 _Yasashikatta_

 _Anata wa itsumo sou yatte watashi wo_

 _Okorasete saigo ni nakasunda_

 _Dakedo ato ni natte_

 _Geomen ne tte iu_

 _Sono kao_

 _Suki data_

The sounds of battle completely stopped, everyone listening to the siren's song, enchanted. Mihawk stood listening, as entranced as everyone else. As she sang, Lorelei held Law's form close to her. She hadn't lost him. She hadn't lost him!

Halfway across the battlefield, Fire-fist Ace knelt in front of Luffy, shielding him from the fist of magma that never came. The attack froze centimeters away from his back, placing a severe burn, but nothing fatal. But now the heat was gone, the Admiral standing as dazed as everyone else.

 _Hanasanai de_

 _Gyutto sou omoikkiri_

 _Anata no ude no naka ni itai_

 _Futari de odeko wo awase nagara_

 _Nemuru no_

 _Mou nidoto wa aenai tte koto wo shitteta no?_

 _Hanasanai de_

 _Gyutto anata ga suki_

 _Mou ichido datte waratte kurenai no_

 _Anata no nukumori ga kiechau mae ni_

 _Dakishimete_

The last notes rang through the air. There would be a few moments before the listeners regained their senses.

She lifted her head and shouted, voice ringing clearly through the silent skies, "Obey my orders! Except for Helios, all marines disappear from my sights immediately! And do not even attempt to chase our crews."

Dazed, the marines still alive and conscious obeyed. She saw the Admirals struggle, their wills stronger than the rest, but they couldn't resist her compulsion.

"Helios," she said quietly, voice dangerous. "You have humiliated me, and stolen my pride and dignity. But that does not matter. I will have you die knowing that your crimes—aside from child molestation and whatever disgusting acts you have performed—include harming the pride of Mihawk's and Law's crews, the murder of Rolo, and the attempted murder of Law. These are my orders. You will live in shame and disgrace, never harming another person while fearing retribution from those you have hurt. You will not take your own life. And when the time comes for you to die, you will perish with your shame as your only legacy, and you will perish with a heart full of regrets. Now vanish. Never show yourself before me or any of mine again!"

Her vengeance against Helios finally complete, she turned her full attention back to Law, who had regained his awareness, and his fingers were running over the scales of her tail, the man fascinated and curious. Under his hands, the scales rippled and vanished, leaving two long legs behind.

"Well, _chica,_ looks like your bounty will be going up again," Mihawk commented with a smirk.

She smiled back tiredly.

Law coughed, drawing her attention back to him, and smirked. "Shanks-ya was right. I had no idea what I had on my sub."

She smiled down at him, releasing her vice-like grip on him and allowing him to sit up. Then he slowly stood, Lor following. And Law glared at Mihawk.

"Calm down, boy. I'm not your enemy," Mihawk said.

"You're a shichibukai."

" _Trafalgar_ ," Lor warned.

The shichibukai swordsman barely spared him a glance when he turned his attention back to Lor. He pulled Yoru out and pointed it at the girl. Law shifted, maneuvering so he could hide his cook behind him, away from the shichibukai. But she gently pulled the back of his shirt, sending him off balance and stumbling backwards. She stood in front of Mihawk's giant sword, feet shifting and gaze at the ground. She looked like a child getting scolded.

"Rhine Lorelei," Mihawk growled.

"Captain," she said meekly.

Law recoiled, feeling a stab of betrayal. She never called him captain. Heck, she never even called him by his name until today. It was always, _always_ 'Trafalgar', even though she called everyone else by their first names. And here she goes calling someone else captain, right in front of him, her captain! Yoru rose above her head and fell, the girl's eyes squeezed shut, knowing exactly what to expect. The flat of the blade hit her head with a thunk.

"Owww," she whimpered.

"That was for facing Helios without getting me to help," Mihawk said before thumping her head again. "That was for putting yourself in danger," and again, "And that was for making me worry."

"Sorry captain," she said, feet shifting again, a guilty look on her face.

Mihawk sighed, replacing the sword on his back. Placing a hand on her head, he bent down to her level until their foreheads were almost touching. Law's jaw began to hurt from being clenched so tightly.

"If your place is with them, then go, _chica_ ," Mihawk said softly. "You weren't there when I said it to the others, but no matter what, you six will always be my crew and family. Even if you are officially on someone else's crew."

"Yes captain," she replied, finally meeting his eyes.

Mihawk smirked. "Good."

His gaze shot to Law for a second, taking in the rage boiling up in the Heart Pirates' captain, before he ruffled the girl's hair, and walked over to an angry Law.

He said quietly, so only the pirate captain could hear, "Take care of her. If she gets hurt, I'll kill you. If you break her heart, I will feed your living squirming body piece by piece to the sea kings."

Law froze, then nodded slowly. The shichibukai's piercing gaze left him, and the man walked away. Law cleared his throat once, twice before he got his voice working again.

"We're leaving too!" Law called out to his crew, all of whom were still near the sub. "Grab Straw Hat-ya and Jinbe-ya and Fire-fist-ya and put them in the surgery!"

"Aye!" They immediately ran off to obey orders.

Whitebeard's crew visibly tried to protest, physically, against Penguin and Shachi taking Ace, but when Bepo knocked them over the head from behind, they complied. By fainting, of course. And when they asked if they could take Ace to their pirate doctor, they took the lack of reply as consent.

Lor made a sound of amusement at the scene, and at the trio carrying back the three injured. Law glanced down at her and smirked, wrapping an arm around her waist. She jumped in surprise, and he leaned a little into her, as if he was using her for support, and she relaxed. Law glanced over to Whitebeard. The man was injured. So badly that he wasn't sure if the Yonko would survive.

But Law really _really_ didn't want the Yonko on his sub. So his own crew will have to deal with him.

As Kuzuri passed by them, he grinned. "Welcome back, Lor."

She smiled back, and Law unconsciously stiffened, glaring at his navigator. Getting the message, Kuzuri's smile turned nervous, and he quickly jogged back to the sub.

Why the hell did his cook have so many men swarming around her? She was _his_. Only his. Helios was, thankfully, gone. Smoker, Shanks, Mihawk, and Sho and Leo—whoever those two were—should stay away from _his_ Lorelei. Unknowingly, he stiffened again, arms turning into a vice-grip around his cook.

"Trafalgar?" She asked, confused eyes looking up at him.

"Law," he said absently.

She repeated, "Law?"

His heart jumped when his name came from her lips. He wanted to hear it again and again and again. He wanted her to call only his name and no one else's.

"Law?" She said again, tugging on his sleeve. "I think my ribs are broken. And your grip is too tight.

"Oh," he blinked, and loosened his grip.

"And Law?"

"Hmm?"

She sent him a small smile. "Thank you," she said, before rising up onto her toes and kissing his cheek.

He froze. She pulled away from him to go back to the sub, but with a few long strides, he caught up.

With a devious smirk on his lips, he murmured into her ear, "You missed."

Before she could question what he meant, his lips captured hers. ' _Oh. So that's what he meant_ ,' was the last thought she had for awhile.

A/N: The song is Departures ~Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta~ by Egoist, from Guilty Crown


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Thanks, Wh1spers, Pasta-Survivor, DinoPower, Salmiria, Supra18, and GaarasSand101 for the follows/favs!

Traff Lamy (Guest): Wow. I'm glad you like my story! I've used Google Translate before, and it translates rather badly, but it makes me really happy that you like the story enough that you would go through all that trouble. 

I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but Death's Resonance Extras are up. It consists of three one shots about Lor's past before the Heart Pirates, and currently one about April meeting Shanks. If you guys want to read about anything that won't be in the canon story, just tell me and I'll try to write something and post it there.

"You _LOST_ her?!" A man demanded, enraged.

Helios whimpered, cowering on the floor.

"I asked you to break her," the man said very calmly, before shouting, " _NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!_ "

Helios flinched, curling himself into a ball, trying to make his large frame as small as possible.

"I wanted her _broken, scared, obedient,_ and _cowering before me on the ground_ ," the man hissed. "Not _you_. You had free reign to do _whatever you wanted with her_ , and _still_ she escapes, _and she breaks you in the process_?!"

"Sorrysorry don'thurtme triedhard veryveryveryhard didn'tbreak wouldn'tbreak stubbornstubborngirl don'twannahurtanyone pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease mebadperson didbadthings veryveryverybad hurtherbrokehershehealed notmyfault pleasepleaseplease," Helios muttered, voice quavering.

" _GET THIS COWERING IDIOT OUT OF MY SIGHT!_ " The man roared, and servants rushed to do just that.

Taking hold of Helios' arms and legs, they dragged him out of the room, still blubbering. The man heaved a sigh. He picked up a photo on his desk, and stared at it with loving gentleness nobody would have thought he possessed had they watched him mere moments ago.

"Soon, my loves. Soon."

* * *

"So? Is Luffy alright?" Ace asked impatiently. "When's he gonna wake up?"

Law gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath. Calm down. Do _not_ murder the flame user. Do _not_ look at Lor's extremely amused eyes, and do _not_ notice that she is trying not to laugh at you.

"For the forty third time in the past twenty three minutes, _your little brother is fine. He will wake up when he wakes up!_ " Law hissed.

Ace pouted. He opened his mouth to protest, but Lor caught the dangerous glint in Law's eyes. He would cut open Fire-fist's heart if he heard one more word out of his mouth.

"Ace, why don't you come with me? I'll make you some food. You haven't eaten since you woke up, right?" Lor suggested.

Ace's expression immediately brightened at the magic word. Food. Turning on his heel, he stuck close to Lor as she headed towards the kitchen.

At that sight Law's anger shot through the roof, even worse than if Ace had pestered him any more. Lor was _his_. Ace should learn to _stay away from what was his_.

After that kiss, it was like nothing had changed. She called him Law, he called her by her name, and she was officially a member of the crew, but that was it. There were no more kisses. He never got her alone. She remained standoffish, with the blank expression that infuriated him more and more. She showed more expressions with Kuzuri and Ace than she did with him, for goodness sakes!

"Captain?" Bepo asked hesitantly.

The glare directed at the door was scary. And the door couldn't glare back either. Bepo had thought that since Law got Lor back, the man would be happier. While she was gone he had been snappy and abrupt with everyone, with a temper shorter than a goldfish's memory. The crew had been walking on eggshells around him. Since their cook returned, and officially became their crew member, the food improved.

But their captain's mood did not.

Lor, however, was normal. Or as normal as she could be. The depressed state she had left the crew with had all but disappeared, and she was back to her expressionless, quirky, sarcastic self.

Kuzuri watched her closely for any sign that she was in love with Law, and for any sign that the two were in a relationship, but he was disappointed. He got zero results.

But he was usually watching her closely enough to get extra food.

"More meat, please," Ace requested politely.

"Me too," Kuzuri said.

Lor stared at the flame user, stunned. He had eaten half their fridge, and was still eating more. Where did all that food go? Where did all those calories go? To think he ate like a bottomless pit and still looked like _that_ …

She knew quite a few good looking men. Her brother was one. Mihawk and Shanks and Sho and Leo were easy on the eyes. Even several Heart Pirates, including their idiot navigator, were lookers.

But Ace was plain _hot_ , no pun intended.

Yet her mind wandered to Law. He rivaled Ace any day.

Now if only he would stop wearing a shirt like a normal pirate…

Lor shook her head free of that line of thought. She put more meat on the stove, noting that they needed to stock up, and possibly raid another island or two if Ace stayed with them for much longer. Perhaps they could get the Whitebeard Pirates to pay…

 _Snore_ …

Lor and Kuzuri blinked, and blinked again, staring at Ace. If he hadn't been snoring, they would have thought he just keeled over dead in his food.

"Did he just…?" Kuzuri sputtered.

"Will he suffocate?" Lor wondered, cocking her head.

The fire user had his nose buried in the mashed potatoes. How was he breathing?

"I suppose this means he doesn't need more food," Lor stated, shaking her head.

She grabbed Fire-fist's shoulders and pulled him up, leaning him against Kuzuri. He shot her a look, which she promptly ignored. She grabbed a cloth and carefully wiped Ace's face clear of food before straightening, wondering what to do with him now.

"Help me carry him," she ordered.

"No way!" Kuzuri glared at her.

"Are you asking a weak and helpless female to drag a heavy unconscious male piece of dead weight alone?" Lor asked, chewing on her lower lip, giving him puppy dog eyes.

Kuzuri stiffened.

"Weak and helpless my butt," he muttered, but stood to help her anyways.

Her face returned to its blank state, but he could swear he saw triumph glinting in her eyes. Each slinging one of Ace's arms over their shoulders, they proceeded to drag the man—he was heavier than he looked!—back to the infirmary.

The moment the door opened, Law looked up. Or rather, glared up. The glare only sharpened when he saw the close proximity between _his_ cook and his newly least favorite patient. Especially the hand that dangled precariously near her breast.

Seemingly unaware of Law's boiling rage, Lor huffed as she heaved Ace into his bed, the man still snoring away, blissfully unaware that the pirate doctor who had saved him was ready to dissect him and strangle him with his own intestines.

"Finally! He was heavy!" Kuzuri groaned, stretching. "I'm leaving, you sadistic noble, unless your highness has any other requests?"

"You may leave," Lor said imperiously, then cracked a small smile. "Thanks."

"No problem, princess," Kuzuri smirked and left. He was going to ruffle her hair, but seeing that his captain was ready to kill, decided against going anywhere too near her for the next few days. Or years.

Law turned back to the medical devices, meticulously examining the information they gave. Unnecessary, since he knew exactly how his patients were doing. After all, he had just checked on them five seconds before Lor walked in. He expected her to leave, now that Ace was sleeping and on the bed.

Her footsteps padded softly away, and the door shut with a click. Law sighed.

Lor sighed.

Law jumped a little when something warm pressed against his back. He spun on his heel, drawing a yelp from the girl as the motion threw her off balance. Law grabbed her arms quickly, keeping her from falling. The two stood like statues for a moment before he let go and she straightened, looking a little flustered.

Law raised an eyebrow. He heard her leave. He heard the door shut. So why the hell was she still here?

With another sigh, she leaned into him, forehead against his collarbone.

"Ace is really good looking," she said, and he stiffened. "So's Smoker and Mihawk and Shanks and Sho and Leo and Kuzuri and Kid and Killer and Zoro."

He felt like a rock now. All his muscles had tightened, and his fists and jaw had clenched. And where was _his_ cook going with this…?

"But you're really good looking too. And I like you best," Lor said, causing him to shift a little in surprise, his muscles relaxing. "Even if you are a sadistic bastard with a superiority complex."

Before he could recover from the bombshells she had oh-so-calmly launched at him, her fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt, and she pulled herself up to land a small kiss on his lips.

Then she oh-so-calmly walked away.

Law felt his mood brighten, and chided himself for letting her affect him so easily.

And perhaps he had not been as discreet about his jealousy as he had originally thought.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: I'm on a roll. I'll probably be on a roll until Ace leaves, and then I'll be at a loss... I'm still working out a clear picture of the antagonist I showed a sneak peak of at the beginning of the last chapter. I hope I can manage to do it as soon as possible.

Law groaned, burying his head in his hands. They had been going on for nearly half an hour! Didn't they get sick of it? Didn't they get tired?!

Why had he saved them again?

"AAACCEEEEE!"

"LUUUUFFFFFYYYYY!"

"AAACCEEEEE!"

"LUUUUFFFFFYYYYY!"

"AAACCEEEEE!"

"FFIIIIISSHHYYYYY!"

"AAACCE—" Luffy stopped, realizing that the last cry hadn't been his name, and hadn't been male.

Apparently everyone else realized the same thing. Fishy?

Everyone in the infirmary turned surprised gazes to the green haired girl. She only shrugged. "I figured someone should pay some attention to Jinbe as well. He did wake up too, you know."

Law's lips quirked in amusement.

Luffy and Ace shared a glance, then grinned very similar grins. "FFIIIISSHHYYY!"

Jinbe felt his eye twitch, but smiled all the same. The adventure had a happy ending. They had gotten out of the war relatively unscathed, and the one they had set out to save, Ace, was still alive. It was rare enough in the pirate world to be happy and celebrate.

Even if said celebration included half an hour of screaming each other's names, and calling him a fishy.

"By the way, how are we alive?" Luffy asked, rather bluntly.

Ace blinked, unsure. Jinbe pieced things together. "Ah, that would be because…"

The trio stared at the two Heart pirates.

"Thank you very much for saving us!" Ace bowed, shoving Luffy's head down as well.

Considering that Luffy's neck stretched, his bow was rather creepy.

"Yes. Trafalgar Law, we thank you for the medical care. Without it, we surely would have perished," Jinbe thanked formally, then turned to Lor before bowing again. "And I had not expected the Immortal Witch to save us. Or is it Siren now? Either way, we are grateful that you stopped the war. Had you not, many more lives would have been needlessly lost."

"Ah, I think I have to thank you for that too. If you hadn't done something, Akainu's magma would have killed me," Ace laughed.

"No… If I had done something from the start, the war wouldn't have begun at all," Lor said, a little guiltily.

She hadn't been thinking about the war. She was just trying to keep Law alive.

Jinbe cocked his head, frowning. "But then would Mihawk not have been angry? In fact, I have been meaning to ask, but why are you here? Should you not have accompanied Mihawk home?"

Ace and Luffy blinked. "Why?"

Jinbe stared incredulously at the two, and then at Law when he realized the pirate captain's voice had chimed in with the other two. "You do not know? Miss Lorelei is Mihawk's crew! She first became known as a pirate under Mihawk several years ago, the last member to join his crew. And she was destructive enough to gain a high bounty and quite a bit of attention from the pirate world."

The trio turned to stare at her as if she had grown another head. She unconsciously took a step back. Was it really so unusual?

"So that's why…" Law muttered, recalling that she had called Mihawk 'captain', and he had said something about her being crew. Not to mention that she knew Shanks—everyone knew Shanks and Mihawk were rivals. "I thought you were a marine?"

This time the three patients stared at her as if she had sprouted horns and a tail.

"I was. From age ten to fourteen. Then from fourteen to seventeen I was a pirate. After that I re-enlisted for a year before you kidnapped me," she answered.

Jinbe stared at Law, shocked. "You _kidnapped_ her?!"

He felt a little faint, and it wasn't because of his wounds. If Mihawk knew, he would be pissed. And if he was pissed, few people stayed alive. Even if they had nothing to do with whatever made the swordsman angry.

"Mihawk won't come after him," Lor said quickly. "He already knows."

"Good lord. You're still alive," Jinbe shook his head in disbelief at Law.

"Of course," Law said smoothly. "Now if the two of you will stop moving… If you move too much you'll reopen your wounds and die."

"Meh, I feel fine," Luffy said.

" _Bed. Now_ ," Law growled, glaring at Luffy and Jinbe.

"Doctor's orders," Lor chimed in, hiding her amusement.

Jinbe obeyed, but Luffy took convincing from his brother. After a lot of whining and grumbling, and promise of meat, Luffy lay quietly in bed, and fell asleep in mere moments.

Ace sidled up next to Lor, grinning cheekily. "So, you're a siren? It's a devil fruit, right? Can you swim?"

"Yes, yes, no," Lor answered. "I can breathe underwater, but otherwise it affects me the same as it does you."

"Ah, I see," Ace knelt in front of her, taking one of her hands and bringing it up to brush against his lips. "I haven't introduced myself properly yet, have I? I am Portgas D Ace. I am eternally grateful to you for saving our lives."

"It's not—I wasn't exactly trying to save you—" Lor stammered.

"But still, whatever your intentions, you still saved our lives," Ace replied smoothly.

"Umm…"

" _Fire-fist ya. You too. Bed. Now!"_ Law growled, the pits of his stomach turning at the sight of the other man kissing _his_ Lor. Her hand, but still her.

"Yes, doctor," Ace grinned, eyes twinkling with mischief.

Law didn't catch it, but Lor did. And she bit back a laugh. So Ace _had_ been awake when she kissed Law. She thought the snoring had stopped.

To prevent Law from being tempted to murder the fire user in his sleep, she took the doctor's hand and tugged, leading him out of the infirmary. She shut the lights on the way out, leaving a soft glow. The submarine was never completely dark.

The moment the door was shut, Law pressed her against the wall, grumbling something about stupid charming flirty young pirate males. She couldn't hold back anymore and laughed softly.

Law's angry mutters stopped. He watched her, entranced. He knew his jaw was slightly agape, and snapped it shut, but continued staring. She laughed. _She laughed_. It was then that he decided she was too adorable for her own good.

And here he'd thought he didn't have words like 'cute' or 'adorable' in his vocabulary.

"You get jealous too easily," Lor told him, still smiling.

Law frowned, expression almost a pout. "I do _not_ get jealous."

She raised an eyebrow. "You were glaring at Kuzuri, and he knew you liked me long before you did. You even glared at Mihawk, and he's my captain. Not to mention twenty three years older than me."

He glared at her, leaning forward to nip her ear. " _I'm_ your captain."

"Yes, captain," she said, smile turning cheeky.

He felt a stab of elation. But then he frowned. "Are you making fun of me?"

"Of course not."

"Hn," he said, not entirely convinced. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss, then pulled away.

"I wasn't making fun of you," she said, straight faced.

Smirking a little, he leaned down again, only for her to duck out of his reach. He blinked, stunned at the trick she just pulled.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to make dinner."

Law nodded absently. She did have to make… He blinked.

"Dinner was two hours ago!"


	26. Chapter 26

Lor blinked lazily. Hot. It was really hot. She hated heat. Wasn't there somewhere cool? Ah. Refrigerator. Slowly she rolled to her feet. It took a lot of effort. How troublesome. And now she had to walk all the way to the kitchen… Where was the kitchen?

She let her feet carry her. They should know where the kitchen was.

When her feet finally stopped, she looked blearily around the room. Table. Chairs. Knives. Giant white box. Handsome man in ugly orange hat. Giant white box.

Giant white box.

Eyes trained on the object, she walked towards it and pulled the door open. She was greeted by a welcome blast of cool air. Not enough.

Ace watched, torn between worry and amusement as the green haired girl tried to stuff herself into the fridge. She wouldn't fit the right way up, so she twisted herself into strange angles and tried to squish into the shelves that way. Apparently the food got in her way because she tossed things out of the fridge before crawling back in. The door shut.

Ace waited a minute, two minutes.

Fridges didn't exactly circulate oxygen.

Yanking the door open, he pulled the reluctant girl out. She made a strange noise in her throat, reaching for the coolness of the fridge. Ace sighed. Keeping an arm looped around her waist, holding her back, his other hand tossed the food back into the fridge before slamming the door shut.

"Uhhh… I'll pretend I didn't see you two," Kuzuri said, nervous. Damn. The captain was going to find out, and he was going to be pissed.

"No, no! Hey, wait!" Ace called out.

"I won't tell captain," Kuzuri said quickly.

"You're misunderstanding!" Ace said, frustrated. "Do you know anywhere with air conditioning? She just tried to lock herself in the fridge."

"Snowman!" Lor giggled, reaching out towards Kuzuri.

Immediately forgetting that Ace was practically hugging the girl, Kuzuri stared at her strangely. Yeah. Something was wrong with her right now.

"Captain's room," Kuzuri said.

Ace thanked him and proceeded to drag the girl.

He knocked on Law's door. Nobody answered. Brows furrowed, he pounded. Still no answer. Praying that the man would not murder him for this, he opened the door, and saw that nobody was there. Sighing in relief, he pulled the girl in, and shut the door. It was neat, for the most part. Only the desk and the bookshelf were crammed full, and he didn't even want to go near there. Thankfully the remote for the air conditioner was on the bedside table. He turned it on, and was met with a blast of cold air. He turned to see Lor smiling dazedly, hair blown back by the strong wind.

Then her hands started moving. His eyes widened and he hurriedly left. He didn't need to see that.

"LOOOOOORRRR!" Luffy screamed. "MEEEAAATT!"

"Mugiwara-ya," Law warned as Luffy ran screaming into the mess hall.

The boy paid him no mind.

"Luffy," Ace called.

The boy immediately shut up and bounded over to his brother. Law sighed. Then he perked up, glancing around. Where _was_ Lor? It was past time for her to start making dinner.

"Where's Lor-ya?" Law asked the room.

"I think she's still in your room, captain," Kuzuri called out.

Law raised his eyebrow, but headed for his room. What would she be doing in there? And what did Kuzuri mean by 'still'?

He opened his door, only to feel a shock of cold run over him. What the… He walked in, shivering, and turned off the air conditioner. He hadn't left it running. He knew that much. So…

He scanned the room, looking for his cook.

And he found a bundle in his bed, green sticking out from under the blankets. He smirked. There she was.

Law stalked towards her. He didn't mind having her in his bed. He didn't mind at all. But right now she had to make dinner.

"Lor-ya," he said softly, shaking her shoulder. "Wake up, Lor-ya."

"Mph. Hot," she muttered, and burrowed further into his bed.

"Lor-ya, you have to make dinner," Law said sternly.

"No. Hot. Don't like hot."

Law sighed. With a jerk, he yanked the blanket off her. Stared for a second, and flung it back onto her. He ignored the heat rising to his face. For the first time, he noticed the clothes lying carelessly on his floor.

She was wearing panties, but that was _it_. She was in his bed, almost completely naked…

Law fought to keep back a wave of arousal. He succeeded. Barely.

"Lor-ya, why are you naked?" Law asked.

"Hot."

"You have to get up and cook," Law told her.

Heaving a sigh, she sat up, the blanket thankfully still hiding her chest. Law turned around, facing the door. He would leave, but she might just flop back into bed. He heard clothes rustle, and faint sounds come from the girl as she struggled to get the clothes on, but she was finally done. She tugged on his sleeve.

He turned to look at her… only to fall speechless once again. He had to fight the urge to tear the clothes off and take her then and there.

She was wearing nothing but her panties and one of his hoodies. It fell to mid-thigh, hiding enough, but it was _his_ clothing on her. Just having his jolly roger on her would make him happy. His hoodie _and_ jolly roger on her made him downright possessive.

Hand still gripping his sleeve, she cocked her head, and he groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back for a moment. Don't get aroused. _Do not_ get aroused. Taking a deep breath he looked back down at her.

"Let's go," he told her curtly.

The moment they entered the mess hall, it fell silent, everyone staring at them. Law raised an eyebrow, and they turned away. But he understood why they still stared, more discreetly now. She was holding his sleeve—and he wasn't pushing her away—with a sleepy look on her face while wearing his hoodie. Not to mention she had come out of his room.

Basically everything about her shouted 'slept with the captain!'

Law didn't mind letting them assume. It just meant they knew she belonged to him. Not that they didn't know before. He just needed to _remind_ a certain fire user. If he could get the glaring hints through the man's thick skull.

He didn't think Ace wasn't stupid. Not as much as his idiot little brother, at least. But just in case. Law gave Lor a little push towards the kitchen, before frowning at her back. The girl walked as if daydreaming. He cocked his head a little, deep in thought. Now where had he seen this before?

Within moments he heard her rummaging for ingredients before starting to prepare. Very soon the smells of food began to waft out, making Luffy bounce impatiently, arm starting to stretch as the fingers crawled towards the kitchen. Law 'accidentally' stepped on the hand, making it snap back. He ignored the hurt look Luffy sent him.

"Dinner," Lor said in her monotone, but something was off about it. It sounded… fluffy? If fluffy could be used to describe a sound, of course.

The crew and their guests—two of them, at least—pounced. And then…

"Blood!" Kuzuri freaked.

That drew everyone's eyes, except Luffy. Lor blinked, realizing everyone was staring at her. She frowned, cocking her head as she stared back.

"You're bleeding!" Ace stood suddenly, then hesitated, conflicted between her injury and food.

Lor blinked again, expression blank. She looked down. "Ah."

Law was at her side in a second. He examined her hand with professional detachment, but that disappeared in the blink of an eye as he brought her hand up to his mouth and licked off the blood.

She didn't react, only staring hazily at him, but the crew jumped in surprise at the uncharacteristic action.

Relieved that someone was taking care of her, Ace sat back down, once again fighting his little brother for food.

Law cleaned off all the blood before frowning at the cut. It wasn't too deep. But there was a slash across _his_ cook's hand. And she had never been clumsy. It worried him that she didn't even notice until someone mentioned it. His hand still wrapped gently around her wrist, he pushed his forehead against hers. She didn't have a fever. But the dazed look on her face and her general lack of attention was definitely not normal.

"There's blood on your clothes too," Kuzuri pointed out.

Lor looked down again, making a small sound of realization. A soft tug, and her hand was out of Law's grasp. Her hands reached down to the hem and began pulling up.

She had revealed her belly button when they realized what was happening. Their eyes made their way down to innocent white panties. Almost the entire crew spouted nosebleeds, and were forced to hold napkins to their noses to prevent the blood from spraying across the table. Bepo was unaffected because he was a bear, Ace and Luffy weren't paying attention to anything but food, and Law was… Well, Law was Law.

Before she could pull the hoodie up any further and reveal any more skin, he gripped her wrists firmly, forcing her to drop the cloth. It fell back to mid-thigh where it belonged.

He wanted to be angry with her, but he couldn't. Not when she didn't seem to have any idea what she was doing. The normal Lor wouldn't strip in front of people. She may have changed in front of him once, but that was different. Her back had been turned. The normal Lor would notice if she was hurt. The normal Lor—though it stung to think it—would not sleep in his bed, half naked or not, and would not wear his clothes when she had her own lying around.

Law sighed. Ignoring dinner—he could grab leftovers later—he led her to the infirmary, where he disinfected and bandaged her hand. Then he brought her to his room and left her there. She would know what to do.

He returned to the mess hall and froze. He could have slapped himself in the forehead.

With _those_ two gluttons around, how could he think there would be leftovers?


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thank you fibrosurvivor, lek99, sharkswillruledaWORLD (Lol. Nice name), Desert RockandRoller, and icis. bast for the follows/favs!

icis. bast: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you like the story. For some reason FF removes your name whenever I save the doc...?

Law sighed, pulling her closer. With the air conditioner blasting, he was cold, and her body heat helped. And with the air conditioner blasting, she was comfortable, and didn't mind the cuddling. With it off, she kicked him off the bed.

He felt her squirm a little closer, snuggling in, before she froze.

"Law?" She asked, voice blank. "Why am I sleeping with you?"

"This _is_ my room and my bed. If you're going to invite yourself into my bed, who am I to complain?" He replied, smirking a little.

At first he did have doubts about sharing the bed. She would probably be furious when she came to her senses. But like he said, it was his room and his bed. He had the right to sleep there. Having the girl he liked in it didn't influence his decision. Not at all.

"We didn't have sex," she stated, running her hand down his side.

He shivered, but smirked at her. "Disappointed?"

"No."

The blunt reply left _him_ disappointed. She didn't want to have sex with him. Why didn't she want to have sex with him? She liked him, didn't she? _Didn't_ she?

The hurt and doubts must have showed on his face, because she kissed the bare skin of his collarbone. "It wouldn't be any fun to have sex with a zombie anyways."

"A zombie?"

She pushed away a little to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me you didn't notice that I was practically a zombie all day yesterday?"

"Yes. Care to enlighten me?"

"Heat. Staying in anything above twenty seven degrees Celsius for more than a few hours fries my brain. Being somewhere cool for a few hours turns me back to normal," she explained. "Side effect of my devil fruit. An exchange, I suppose. I can breathe underwater, but can't stand the heat."

He suddenly realized, "That's why you were like that when we first met."

"And I got the fever because the heat got worse, and it was that hot for too long."

Law was quiet for awhile. Then he hummed in contentment, pulling her back in. "Then whenever it gets hot you can come here."

"And get sexually harassed by you?" Lor deadpanned.

"Now, when have I ever harassed you, Lei-ya?" Law purred.

He immediately froze, remembering with slight horror that he _had_ sexually harassed her. It was why she had left in the first place. He felt her stiffening and knew she was remembering that too. His inner self groaned, slapping itself repeatedly.

But when she relaxed, he wondered if he was safe.

"When you were checking out my back," she said drily. There was no need to bring up _that_ incident. Law had apologized quite nicely, and she had realized that she still cared for him. Nothing like watching someone you liked nearly get slaughtered to change your perspective, right? Her lips quirked at the thought, then she paused. " 'Lei-ya'?"

Law made a motion as if he was shrugging. "Everyone calls you 'Lor'. You don't like it?"

"No," she ducked her head, and pressing her forehead against his skin to hide the smile that appeared on her face. "It's nice."

They lay like that for a while, enjoying the moment.

It was ruined by the overly feminine screech of "SNAAAKKEEE!"

Law groaned, his arm tightening around her. "Do we have to go?"

"Law, there's a snake on the sub and Bepo is screaming…" Lor deadpanned.

Lor squirmed, trying to maneuver herself out of his grasp. He held her tighter, unmoving. She was not amused. She shoved.

Law's eyes widened and he fell to the floor with an uncharacteristic yelp.

She sat up, looking smugly over the edge of the bed. Law sat up and glared up at her, rubbing his back. She ignored him and stepped daintily over him.

Her brows rose when, on the way to the deck, the screams of "SNAKE!" had become screams of "MARINES!"

She began trotting, noting that several other men had started moving when the newest shout of alarm sounded. She arrived at the deck only seconds before Law. What she saw made her stiffen and maneuver her body in front of her captain's.

Boa Hancock, shichibukai and the most beautiful woman in the world, stood on the marine ship with all its former crew petrified.

"Beast! I demand you tell me where my darling Luffy is!" Hancock scowled.

"Please do not insult Bepo. And the brothers are both under my care," Law said, gently pushing Lor aside as he addressed the shichibukai.

"Trafalgar Law. Are you a friend of Monkey D. Luffy?" Ivankov questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No. I have no obligation to save him. But if it would make you feel better, I can come up with a believable excuse."

"No—"

"I demand to see Luffy _immediately!_ " Hancock ordered.

She crossed her arms under her chest, and the men on the crew swooned. Lor pouted. Men! Secretly she glanced sideways at Law, to see how he was affected. Just like the rest, his eyes were trained on the woman. But the moment he felt eyes on him, he turned to meet Lor's eyes. He smirked at the expression on her face, eyes glinting with a teasing light. She blinked once before she realized he was inwardly laughing at her. Huffing, she spun on her heel and walked back into the sub.

She knew it wasn't her imagination when she heard his low chuckles echo after her.

"SET SAIL FOR AMAZON LILY!" Someone yelled excitedly, the voice muffled by the walls.

"Amazon Lily?" Luffy asked, frowning. "And more meat!"

"You're clearing out our pantry," Lor deadpanned, not moving a step.

"More meat… please?" Luffy attempted.

"Luffy," Ace sighed. "We are guests. Don't be impolite."

But Lor caught him glancing sadly at the stove, empty of food. It was Lor's turn to sigh as she grabbed the last of the meat from the fridge and turned on the fire. Her crew could eat something else.

Like saltines and vegetables.

The grin Ace sent her made her think it was probably worth it.

Did she ever mention that he was hot?

She knew she liked Law and not Ace. She never felt the little flutter of her heart around Ace. But boy, could that man melt a girl.

"So? Amazon Lily?" Luffy asked impatiently, his hand creeping towards the raw meat sizzling in the pan. "Why're we going there?"

"Apparently their princess has a crush on you," Lor answered.

Luffy blinked. "What's a crush?"

Lor finally noticed the hand on the stove and smacked it with a spoon. It snapped back with a yelp. She only shrugged. Ace sent her a look, and she smiled mischievously.

"Ask Ace to tell you about the birds and bees."

The look Ace now sent her was one of shock and pleading.

Luffy glanced at Ace. "What are the—"

"Luffy, you should ask Boa Hancock later," Ace answered hurriedly.

"Won't she rape him?" Lor asked, slightly horrified.

"Probably," Ace agreed.

They left the conversation at that disturbing note.

Lor avoided the deck until they landed on Amazon Lily. Ace wanted to question her, but when he heard the crew mention the Snake Princess leading the sub, he smirked. Ah, jealousy. A very amusing thing—to the people watching. Namely himself.

"Lor-chan! Bring lunch to the deck, please!" Penguin stuck his head into the kitchen just to shout that at her before he, too, disappeared onto the deck.

"As if there's any food left," Lor muttered.

Ace only laughed. He grabbed her wrist in one hand and Luffy's in the other before dragging the two to the deck.

What Ace saw there made him think about giving up on the male species. Law's crew members were all drooling over the armed, dangerous warrior women, even though they had arrows and spears aimed and ready to throw.

"Aah," Shachi sighed. "Only if we could go onto the island…"

"So many beautiful females just out of reach!" Penguin agreed.

"I wonder if there are female bears…"

"You shut up!" The two mechanics shouted.

"I'm sorry."

"It's the island of _women_ ," Kuzuri rolled his eyes, as if that answered everything.

Ace raised his eyebrow and glanced over at the women. They were women. There were plenty of them everywhere.

Lor glanced at his bored expression and rolled her eyes. Of course. The difference between handsome lady-killers and the unpopular men.

She didn't feel Law's murderous glare at the large hand wrapped around her wrist.

But Ace did, and the bored look became an amused one, the man's eyes twinkling. Noticing the change, Lor opened her mouth to ask which female caught his attention.

Her question was answered when an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from Ace's grasp. Lor rolled her eyes again. If Ace kept playing games with Law he would find a scalpel in his heart one morning.


	28. Chapter 28

"Oh my gosh, you poor child!" Mia, one of Amazon Lily's warriors, gasped.

Lor sent her an irritated look. The woman either ignored it or failed to notice. She was trying to stock up the emptied pantry and fridge, if the Amazoness didn't mind. Luffy and Ace had cleaned it out completely, not even leaving crumbs for the metaphoric mice, and the crew had lived on saltines until they arrived on the island. And even those crackers had been fully consumed.

"Being a slave to those men… Poor, poor girl," Mia sighed. "When did they kidnap you?"

It was Law's turn to glare at the woman. True he _had_ kidnapped her once. But she returned on her own free will… Right?

"A few months ago," Lor answered.

Law recoiled, stung.

"But it's not like they've ever forced me to stay," Lor continued. Minus the time when Law squeezed her heart, of course.

"Those brutes!" Mia glared at Law, then her face turned sympathetic once more when her eyes fell back onto Lor. She completely ignored the last statement. "You must come join us! We will protect you from the brutal beasts!"

"No thanks. They'll starve if their cook is gone."

"Oh, how dreadful. You were already brainwashed by those monsters," Mia sighed dramatically. "But I insist you must come tour the island. You shall see the truth and we shall protect you from the species called men!"

"We're all humans," Lor deadpanned. "Unless you're some sort of forest animal."

Mia, once again, completely ignored the statement. Did she have selective hearing? Maybe Law should take a look at her hearing and make sure there was nothing wrong…

But then again she wasn't sure she wanted any of these male-deprived women anywhere near her boyfri—captain.

"I'm sorry, but I do not want any of my crew separated," Law jumped in smoothly, causing Mia to yelp in shock. " _Especially_ not _my_ cook."

Mia, quickly recovering, shot him a glare. "Women do not belong to men, you sexist pig. It is her choice whether she wishes to view our way of life or not."

"She belongs to me, as she is my crew. Just as the rest of my crew belong to me. And if I order her not to go with you, she will not go with you."

" _Excuse me?_ " Lor glared. "I do _not_ take orders!"

The two ignored her.

"Then you are holding her against her will, and that insult to women will not be tolerated on Amazon Lily!" Mia growled.

"I am not holding her against her will. She can leave anytime she wishes. But she will not be going off to be tainted by your ways!" Law snapped.

Lor finally had enough. The island of women may be irritating, but not as much as having Law and Mia argue over her as if she was not there, and as if she did not have an opinion.

She smiled sweetly, tugging on Mia's arm. "Mia onee-san, why don't we go take that tour now?"

The said woman had her mouth open to argue, but her selective hearing picking up on the girl's voice, she returned the sweet smile. "Of course, my dear. Let onee-san show you the ways of a woman!"

They walked off, but not before Lor shot a smug look over her shoulder at a gaping, surprised Law.

The two women walked through the village, Mia chatting about anything and everything. Lor didn't even pretend to be interested. It was a little unnerving to be stared at like a new species, though.

Was it her hair?

But they finally made it through, and Lor thought she was finally allowed to return to the sub, only for them to stop in front of what could only be the Snake Princess' palace.

"Now, you simply _must_ meet our princess. But first we must make sure there is no… taint left on you," Mia said, nose wrinkling.

Before she could protest, she was dragged into the building, stripped of her clothes and dumped into a bathtub. Her protests died as she felt herself weaken to the point of draping herself over the edge just to stay above water and breathing.

Luckily she didn't have to move, the women scrubbing her skin until she felt raw, then toweling her dry and rubbing some sort of scented oil on her skin before dressing her in _their_ clothes…

Could those pieces of cloth even be called clothes?

"We shall deliver these… garments back to the… men," Mai said, face scrunched in disgust, before she snapped her fingers and had one of the women do just that.

Lor tensed. Did that mean she would have to return to the sub in _these_?! She groaned softly. Law would have a field day, if he didn't get a jealous fit over his entire crew plus three seeing her with so little left to the imagination.

"Oh my," one of the servants gasped, hands fluttering for Mia to look.

Mia's gaze snapped over, and scanned Lor's body, before circling her and scanning her backside. Her teeth clenched. "Those _monsters_!"

Lor shifted on her feet. "Ummm, wasn't Hancock… Hancock-hime waiting?"

"Of course. We will speak of this later," Mia ground out.

Soon they were right in front of an overly ornate door. Three guesses who was behind it, and the first two didn't count.

"Princess, we have brought the girl," Mia announced, knocking on the throne room.

"Come in," Hancock said imperiously, and the door opened to reveal Hancock, with a few old crones and maidens nearby, sitting elegantly. She smiled upon seeing the green haired girl. "Ah, come in, come in! You're very welcome. You may tell me all about Luffy!"

"He's fine," Lor said simply. "He and Ace ate all our food, so I would say he's very healthy."

Hancock's smile froze, and her eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't happen to be close to _my_ Luffy, would you?"

"I cook for him," Lor shrugged. "But I'm not interested."

"Are you _sure_?" Hancock's voice could freeze lava.

"Yes. I like Law," Lor answered, wondering when she had become so comfortable with admitting that. "Besides, if I had to choose, I would prefer Ace to Luffy."

"Ah, great!" Hancock went from ice to honey in a split second, leaving Lor's head reeling at the switch. "So when will my dear Luffy come visit?"

"I thought men weren't allowed?"

"My darling is an exception!" Hancock cooed, looking utterly lovesick.

"As long as you have food and lots of meat, he'd probably come at any time," Lor answered. "If you want, I can go back and relay the message immediately."

She would admit, it was a ploy to get back to the sub and out of these crazy women's grasps.

"You will?" Hancock gasped. "Oh, you're a dear! Please do, and tell him to come immediately! I will have food prepared!"

Lor couldn't hold back her grin once her back was turned. That had been easy. Almost too easy. But hey. She wasn't complaining.

She half ran back towards the sub, eager to get away from _so many females_. If she wanted constant female companionship without a hint of male, she would have gone to a nunnery and locked herself in her room every time a male went anywhere near the nunnery doors.

She never knew she would be that happy to see that ugly yellow submarine or that sadist.

"Law!" She shouted.

The startled man looked up from his book to see a blur of green attack him, and before he could do anything more than widen his eyes in surprise, her mouth was connected to his.

The moment he could think, he inwardly grinned. Ace was standing nearby, but he wasn't the one she attacked.

Law kissed back fervently, book forgotten on the sand, his hands running over her sides. Her bare skin was softer than he had imagined, not that he ever thought about such a thing…

Bare skin?

He pushed her back a little, the girl panting a little. His eyes scanned her up and down, gaining a predatory light when he realized what she was wearing. Or rather, what she was _not_ wearing.

He knew he would like it when one of the Amazon warriors delivered her clothes to him in a bag.

But then his eyes scanned her body more carefully, making sure she hadn't been injured. He didn't think Amazon Lily's inhabitants would harm another female, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

His eyes fell on a scar. His brows shot up, his hand reaching out to skim down the wound. He moved closer, as if he wasn't close enough, and examined it. It was about a year old. The same as some of the scars on her back. A low growl sounded from his throat. He would kill whatever bastard did this.

Law scowled at her. "What the hell happened a year ago?"

Her hand immediately went to the scar. But she shrugged nonchalantly. "Helios."

It was all the answer he needed. "I'm going to kill that bastard."

"It's over, Law. We already beat him," she said softly, kneeling in front of him and putting her head on his lap.

He hummed, anger fading. He pushed the remainder to the back of his mind and petted her head, feeling calm now that she had returned.

But suddenly her eyes widened, and she jumped up. "Luffy!"

Law could only utter a confused "huh?" before she disappeared into the sub.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I have no idea where to go from this chapter onwards... I mean I do have a general plan, but that's all it is. General.

"You swam all the way from outside the Calm Belt," Law realized.

"Yes. A nice swim, if you ask me, but I didn't enjoy the getting eaten part," Rayleigh commented. "And it is nice to see you again, little siren. Has the two timer finally chosen?"

Law scowled. "I've never been a two timer."

Rayleigh eyed the doctor. "You aren't going to tell me you're still with the pretty brown haired girl when you have this cutie, are you? Or is Fire-fist Ace over there the one dating the little siren?"

"NO!" Law immediately snapped, then more calmly, "No. Lei-ya is _mine_."

"Hmph," Rayleigh humphed. "Men. Always going for the younger girls."

Law's jaw clenched, the doctor debating strangling the old man. First he tells him to choose Lor and now he's condemning him for it?!

"So where's the boy? Stuffing his face?" Rayleigh glanced around.

"It's not like your Haki can't tell," Lor deadpanned.

"I'd like you to leave him with me," Rayleigh said.

Law's brow rose. "He hasn't been my patient for days, and our sub is restocked. Do what you want."

He turned and headed back to the sub, a hand signaling for the rest of the crew to join him.

"Siren," Rayleigh called. "I still don't get to hear you sing?"

"Can you handle it, old man?" Lor grinned, and climbed onto the deck to join her crew.

Rayleigh only laughed.

"Hey, old man!" Ace yelled from the deck.

"Fire-fist," Rayleigh greeted.

"Give Luffy a message. We'll meet again in the New World!" Ace shouted over.

"Sure thing, bo-ya," Rayleigh chuckled.

The sub started sailing out, the door open. Lor smiled a little, and sang. The tune, seductive yet light, put quite a few under a trance. She noted with amusement that most of the warriors and many of her crew were out, but that Luffy, Law, Rayleigh, and Ace only relaxed, letting the music wash over them without fully giving up their minds.

When the last note finally died, Law smiled. "Siren, hmm?"

She shrugged. "It's useful. By the way, there's a dangerous ship heading this way, so Ace, you should stand on the highest point and show that you're unharmed and not a hostage…"

The two men glanced up in shock. True enough, a ship with a familiar jolly roger was heading their way, cannons pointed and ready. Law groaned, Ace grinned. He shot a fireball into the air—"Watch the sails!"—as a beacon.

As if the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't already seen them.

"ACE, YOU BASTARD! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR NEARLY GETTING YOURSELF EXECUTED, YOI!"

"MARCO!" Ace yelled back. "OIIII!"

Lor reached out and poked the healing burn on his back and he winced, dropping his arms and sending her a hurt look. She looked to the side, as if she hadn't just probed his wounds.

The sub allowed the ship to pull up next to them, sailing side by side.

"So do we have to shoot, yoi?"

"Please don't," Lor said. "You can find people to build ships anywhere, but not many places build submarines. Especially not for pirates… And not many people are willing to paint a sub into a yellow eyesore."

"Hey!" Law shot her a wounded look.

Ace stifled his snickers.

"You don't have room to laugh when your hat's a barf orange," Lor deadpanned.

Ace stopped laughing, shocked. "Hey!"

Marco stared at the two men for a moment before he burst into laughter. "I like you, yoi. Want to join our crew?"

"No! She's _mine!_ " Law said, moving near her protectively.

"So where's Pops?" Ace asked impatiently.

Marco's smile disappeared, replaced by a worried look. "He's… strange."

"Not dead?" Ace asked, holding his breath.

"No. But he's saying something about _retiring_ of all things!"

"He's old. He has the right," Lor cut in.

"He's a pirate! Pirates don't _retire_!" Marco argued.

"Tell him to go conquer a country or two and become the king," Lor shrugged. "Any land-lubbed pirate is no longer a pirate."

"He's _Whitebeard_. He'll always be a pirate," Law said, looking at her strangely.

"Well, he can become an easygoing pirate. You know, give up the Yonko seat, stay on an island and sail out once in awhile, make Ace the next pirate king," Lor listed.

"Pirates don't stay on islands!" Marco said, affronted.

"And I'm making Pops the pirate king!" Ace retorted.

" _I'm_ going to be the pirate king," Law added.

Lor blinked. She should have expected that. "Marco, tell that to Mihawk and watch him try cut your ship in two again. Ace, _he's_ probably been trying to make you pirate king the entire time. And Law… you'll have to fight Ace and Luffy and Kidd and everyone else for that title."

"And you?" Law demanded.

"I'm going to get you as far as I can. I would make you pirate king, but if I cheat like I did at Ace's execution, the one who gets the throne won't be you," Lor stated. "And I really don't want a title like that."

"Really. And why are you a pirate?" Ace asked, curious.

"Freedom," Lor smiled. "And I always wanted to see the world. Being a marine was one way, but being a pirate is more fun. If I could have complete freedom, I am perfectly happy to join a crew and make my captain the king."

"So you would make any captain king, yoi?" Marco asked.

"No. Mihawk wasn't interested… He's too lazy anyways," Lor muttered. "But if I don't like you and you force me to join your crew, I'd probably kill you and do what I want."

Law winced. How close had he come to that fate…?

"Girl has a point," a deeper voice said.

Everybody looked up, wondering why in the nine hells they had failed to notice the giant captain on deck.

"I'm Lorelei. It's very nice to meet you, Edward Newgate," Lor said with a half bow.

"You're the siren from Impel Down," Whitebeard studied her. "Smaller than I thought you would be."

"Not everybody is a giant sized human," Lor deadpanned.

Law stiffened. Must she?

"True," Whitebeard nodded. "We've never met in person, but I have heard of you from Shanks."

" _Him_?" Lor wrinkled her nose, then muttered, "He really is a gossipy old grand-aunt."

"Gurarara!" Whitebeard laughed. "I will have to call him that the next time we meet!"

"Please do. He has the most interesting reactions. Shanks and Mihawk both."

"Pops! You can't retire!" Ace, unable to hold it in anymore, burst out.

"Boy, I was barely out of bed even before the war. I shouldn't even be alive right now," Whitebeard said.

"Should you really be informing enemies of your weakness?" Law asked, an eyebrow raised.

Ace and Marco tensed, but Whitebeard only waved a large hand. "I'm retiring, and you saved Ace. You're hardly my enemy at this point."

"But Pops!" Ace argued.

"Fire-fist ya," Law cut in. "You should return to your crew and fight it out. You've been a guest on my ship for long enough."

"That's true, yoi. You've eaten enough of their food," Marco teased.

"Well, once again thank you both for saving me and my brother," Ace told the two. Then his eyes flicked to Law, glinting. He really couldn't resist taking one last jab at the doctor. He knelt on one knee, taking Lor's hand gently and bring it up to brush against his lips. "And thank you, lovely Lor, for the wonderful food. I would not mind coming home to your cooking every day, but alas, tragic fate has us on two different crews. I wish you the be—"

A nodachi dug into the deck where Ace's head would have been if he had not moved back at the last moment.

Knowing he had overstayed his welcome, Ace gave Lor a mock bow and jumped back onto his ship.

He managed to hold back his laughter until he was below deck, and the ships set off in two different directions.


	30. Chapter 30

Lor frowned at Law. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he pretended to read, fighting a smirk of amusement threatening to form on his lips. She looked cu—the 'c' word that didn't exist in his vocabulary. She looked like she was dying to ask him about the announcement he had oh-so-casually made on the deck.

And she had looked like she was dying to ask him since three days ago, when he made the announcement.

He was a little surprised that she had held out this long.

"So?" Lor asked. "If we're not going to the New World now, then what are you planning to do?"

Ah. She finally asked.

Law shrugged. "Bide my time, make preparations."

"Meaning you have no idea," Lor deadpanned.

Law twitched. How did she—

He thought quickly. "We need supplies and money. A lot of money. Probably some more manpower too. We can't enter the New World unprepared, especially since all the powerful pirates are there."

"Law, we're in a _sub_. The more men we have the more this underwater trap will stink and heat up. Not to mention the food supplies and room limitations," Lor rolled her eyes.

"We can build a fleet," Law's eyes glinted. She said ' _we'_.

Lor gave him a blank look. "A fleet of submarines? Scratch that. A fleet of _yellow submarines_? What are you planning to do, have the yellow subs swim like a school of fish and hope the sea kings will get scared when they see what looks like a giant yellow fish?"

Law thought about it for a moment. He had to admit, it sounded ridiculous, and in his imagine it looked just as ridiculous. But all he said was, "What's wrong with yellow?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just that I have the urge to sing the song about yellow submarines, that it's not exactly the most intimidating pirate ship, and that _we look like a deformed blob that the sun and a tellytubby gave birth to_. Nothing much."

"A telly _what_?" Law asked, torn between amused and annoyed.

"A character in a children's story. It was popular in the region where I grew up," Lor answered.

Law hummed in acknowledgement, eyeing her for a moment. It wasn't a secret that she didn't like the sub's color. For a vessel that held 'Arctic and Antarctic animals,' yellow could be considered entirely unsuitable. But if you look from another angle, it was entirely suitable.

After all, the Poles didn't get much sun, and neither did they, so what's wrong with having something yellow to remind them that, yes, there is a sky, and yes, there is a star their planet revolves around which allows plants to grow, and in turn allows them to survive.

And then he had an idea.

He smirked, eyes glinting. Lor blinked, shuffling one step back. That look couldn't mean anything good.

"I wonder what you looked like as a child, Lei-ya," Law purred.

Immediately she caught the direction this was going, and turned sharply on her heel to march towards the door. "Well, you'll never find out."

"Woah," Law said, one hand shooting out to snatch her wrist. "Not so fast, Lei-ya. Aren't you going to introduce your very handsome and charming boyfriend to your family?"

"You forgot vain and arrogant," Lor added.

Law _almost_ pouted.

"And no," Lor finished. "They already know you. Pirate, Worst Generation, and Supernova level bounty, remember?"

"But they don't know me _personally_ , hmm?" He stood, moving behind her to murmur into her ear. His warm breath sent shivers down her back.

"The only one I care about does. In fact you've probably fought my brother a few times before," she said, trying to decide between leaving _now_ and leaning back into him.

"Introduce us?" Law blew into her ear.

She yelped, a hand shooting up to cover her ear, the girl half turning to glare at him. "You'll be going into a nest of marines. Don't be stupid."

"Says the girl who was in the middle of the Marineford War from beginning to end," Law shot back smoothly.

"I was with _Mihawk_. He's a Shichibukai. I was _fine_ ," she rolled her eyes.

Law gave a disbelieving hum.

Lor sighed. "What's the date?"

"Huh?" Law blinked, his eyes blank at the sudden change of topics.

"Because I'm pretty sure the annual family reunion is next week," Lor told him reluctantly.

Law stared at her for a second, and a slow grin grew on his face. "Just checking, but how much do you care about them?"

Raising an eyebrow, Lor said, "As long as you—and by that I mean the _entire crew_ —don't touch my brother, I'm happy."

"Hmm, so easily pleased," Law said, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. "And your family's treasures?"

Lor grinned. The expression was so sudden and rare on her face that Law was taken aback. He spend a moment drinking it in, burning it into his memory. He never knew when she would make that kind of face again, and it was even harder to _make_ her smile like that. She was just difficult to predict that way.

"I'll lead you to the treasury. But in exchange, if Teddy-bear and Fluff-kitty are still alive, I'd like to bring them."

Law paused for a moment, and deadpanned. "Teddy-bear and Fluff-kitty…?"

"My precious pets. I was _three_ when I named them, so don't you _dare_ say anything," Lor warned, half pouting.

"Will they be trouble?"

"No."

Law thought for a moment. Small, cute, cuddly animals on a pirate ship wasn't very good for their image. It just wasn't… fear-inspiring.

Then again, neither was a bright yellow submarine.

"Fine."

She grinned again. Law returned the smirk, once again staring at her. Was this his lucky day? Getting her to smile so easily, _twice_?

"Good. Then I'll tell Kuzuri and Coyote to set course for Kirishima," Lor said.

"Bepo's at the helm," Law told her as she disappeared out the door.

"Bepo, then," Lor's voice returned.

Law grinned and shook his head. But the grin quickly turned into a devious smirk.

He wondered if there were baby photos somewhere?

* * *

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE

"SIREN" RHINE LORELEI

18 years old, formerly known as the "Immortal Witch". Former marine, accused of desertion and treason. Affiliated with Dracule Mihawk and Trafalgar Law. User of the Siren Siren no Mi. Beware of her voice. Extremely dangerous.

Bounty increased for: stopping the Marineford War, saving Fire-fist Ace, Whitebeard, and all other pirates present.

BOUNTY: 460 MILLION BELI

Mihawk smirked.

Shanks laughed.

April, Cornelia, Karin, Sho, and Leo smiled.

Ace grinned.

Smoker added it to his collection.

A man stared at it, counting down the days until he could possess her.

And the world took note.

* * *

A/N: Law's crew is based on Arctic and Antarctic animals in the anime, so I just continued the trend. I'm also pretty sure I never really introduced the entire crew, right? The underlined ones are canon. I counted fourteen crew members, not including Law and Bepo, when Law was on deck talking to his crew, so here's fourteen members.

Crew:

Trafalgar D Water Law: captain/doctor (snow leopard)

 _Rhine Lorelei_ : cook (siren)

 _Vulpes_ : assistant medic (Arctic fox)

Bepo: first mate / helmsman (polar bear)

 _Kuzuri_ : navigator (wolverine)

 _Azarashi_ : quartermaster (seal)

 _Albatross_ : lookout

 _Skua_ : records keeper / chronicler

 _Coyote_ : helmsman

 _Kaizou_ : boatswain (different reading for the Kanji of walrus/seiuichi)

Penguin+Shachi: mechanics

 _Narwhal_ : shipwright

 _Otter_ : blacksmith

 _Ashika_ : gunner (sea lion)

Jean Bart


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Thanks for the favs/follows: georgedeeks, sunlightxiii, and PeyPey206.

Apple Bloom: Thanks :) I've found that I upload pretty quickly after I start an arc. Other than that... Well, usually when I plan stories I have the beginning, important parts, and the end. I don't think up what to put in between until I actually have to write it.

* * *

Kirishima. Mist Island.

It was the place where she was born, where she grew up. An island owned by the Rhine noble family, self-sustainable with a town and farms filled with people paying rent and taxes, a forest filled with game, and a denser forest behind that filled with dangerous creatures. Nobody went there, of course, except her. That _was_ where she found Smoker's devil fruit after all.

The submarine moved lethargically through the water. They would love to have surfaced. It would have been a lot cooler, not to mention a lot faster moving over the water instead of fighting the currents.

But the island was shrouded in mist that thickened about half a mile off the coast, then thinned at the one mile point. Translation? It was impossible to see anything above water.

And there had been rumors that no pirate had _ever_ attacked the island. At least none that survived to tell the tale.

Lor had shrugged and simply said, "Marine island. Mist."

It didn't tell them much, but at the same time it told them everything. The mist caused accidents, and the pirates that got through were caught and executed by the marines.

It also told them they were either very confident—read arrogant—or very stupid for trying to dock at the island.

At the moment, seeing the dark smirk and the glint in their captain's eyes, the Heart Pirates were leaning towards the latter.

"Captain, are you _sure_ you want to go there?" Kuzuri asked nervously. "Kirishima is a noble family's island. Their social status is pretty high. Not to mention they are an entire family of famous high-ranked marines."

Lor glanced over, hands continuing to move, serving the men their food. She caught Law's eye and raised her eyebrow. He hadn't told them anything?

"I know. But there is something I want from there," Law said calmly.

"Can't you get it anywhere else?" Kuzuri asked, practically pleading. "I knew about them when I was still a noble. They're _dangerous_. They like fighting, they care for nothing but reputation, and nobody likes visiting them because of the monsters they keep! Skua, _tell_ him!"

"Yes. I recommend getting what you want from someplace else," the record keeper nodded. He had heard the same rumors. When he was a child, his parents had never allowed him to go with them to the parties on Kirishima, deeming it too dangerous for the young boy. He hesitated. "And may I ask what it is that you desire so much?"

Law grinned. "Baby pictures."

The entire crew's eyes shot to their captain, incredulous. So they _had_ been listening, even if they had pretended they were not. Law smirked with satisfaction. Good. If his crew wasn't curious, didn't want to know about a place they were heading to, he didn't want them on his sub. Those types of people were idiots, and the Heart Pirates did not accept idiots.

"You… You're _serious_?!" Lor squeaked.

"Why, of course I am," Law smirked, resting his head on his fist. "The baby pictures are my aim. The treasure is just a bonus."

Lor stared at him. "You're insane. Completely, utterly mad as a hatter. In fact, you should probably go join the other madmen on Shanks' ship, or find a mental institute and lock yourself in. "

His eyes danced with amusement.

Lor sighed, muttering under her breath. "Why did I have to fall in love with an insane, arrogant, asshole of a bastard?"

Law was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear that. But his grin widened. He could live with ignoring the insults and just remembering the 'why did I have to fall in love' part.

"Captain… _Baby pictures_?!" Kuzuri sounded like a strangled cat.

"Yes. I believe they will be quite adorable," Law said.

"A-a-a-adorable?!" Ah. The strangled cat had been swallowing a frightened mouse.

Law fell silent, grinning. So much for any word related with 'cute' not being in his vocabulary. But it was different. Seeing and calling someone cute, especially Lei-ya, made his brain functions cease for a brief moment. Flustering his crew with such words, however, was perfectly fine with him.

"Shoo. Get back to work," Law smirked.

The crew watched with dread as they approached the island. But they did not surface. They wanted to put it off for as long as possible, and hope that their captain did not notice that they were stationary under water for a few days.

Of course, he noticed immediately.

Law raised his eyebrow at Lor, who stood shuffling her feet at the door.

Kirishima. They had arrived.

Did she mention the island hated pirates?

Because they hated pirates. They really hated pirates.

The island was owned by _noble marines_ , for goodness sakes. The poor citizens were all fed propaganda and lies about pirates.

Everybody hated pirates there. They really really hated pirates.

"Law, I really think we shouldn't surface," Lor said. "Not until the day of the reunion, at least."

"This _is_ our destination, correct?" Law asked, an eyebrow raised.

"We're walking into a nest of marines. A snake pit of high ranking marines. And the citizens all hate pirates."

"And when does the reunion start?"

She stared blankly at him. "Tonight."

"Then this _is_ the day of the reunion," Law said, fighting the urge to smirk at her.

Lor sighed. "Wait a few hours, at least? Until the curfew. Until the civilians are inside."

"We won't harm the civilians if you don't want us to," Law said softly.

"It's the other way around," Lor muttered, almost pouting. "They'll chase us with every weapon they could find."

"Civilians cannot hurt us," Law smiled, amused.

"Yeah? Tell that to the entire pirate crews they executed _without_ the help of marines."

Or not. The island may be more dangerous than he thought. Would the prize be worth it?

"And curfew is…"

"Sundown," Lor said, relieved. He would listen to her.

"Alright. We set out as soon as it gets dark."

Lor closed her eyes, smiling a little, glad he was being sensible in his insanity.

"And you'll lead me to the baby pictures before we go to the vault," Law finished.

Her eyes snapped open in horror. "No!"

Law raised an eyebrow. "Are you disobeying your captain?"

"They probably burned the pictures!" Lor said hurriedly. "I'm a stain on the family reputation, so... Yeah. They probably destroyed any evidence that I've ever been a part of their family!"

Law studied her for a minute, an infuriating smirk sitting on his lips. "Lei-ya, just what are you hiding?"

"Nothing!" She said, a little too quickly.

"Really, now."

"Yes."

"Good. Then you wouldn't mind if I saw."

And with that the conversation was over. Lor groaned, flopping down onto the floor and letting her head hit Law's desk leg with a thud.

His chair screeched back, the man maneuvering to watch his girlfriend unknowingly entertain him. Or rather, she probably knew she was his source of amusement.

She glared at him. "Just you wait. I'm going to find _something_ that can embarrass you."

"Go ahead and try, Lei-ya," he purred, and bent down to kiss her before he stood and left to take a shower.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Alternating between watching anime, writing Death's Resonance, writing Blood Heir, and finishing Falcon's Hunt... Note to self. Never _ever_ write three stories at once again. But I'll bet I'm probably going to start my Gintama story too, once I get an idea about how I should put my ideas together. Did that even make sense?

Thank you for faving and following, MorriganVanHellsing!

* * *

Groups didn't move quietly, Lorelei thought as she watched the pirates, amused.

They shuffled along, cursing and freezing every time they made a semi-loud noise, afraid of waking the citizens. And pirates didn't _sneak_. They just weren't made for it. Pirates looted, fought, drank alcohol and partied, made loud noises that brought marines running, and sent civilians running in the opposite direction. But sneaking around? That was the job of thieves and assassins.

And have you ever seen a pure white polar bear wearing neon orange try to tiptoe through a dark village?

"Very inconspicuous," Lor said drily.

Law chuckled softly.

"I could sing a lullaby. If everyone wore earplugs they could still move, you know," Lor murmured.

"They'll be fine," Law replied, a slight smirk sitting on his lips as he watched his awkward crew.

"You're just having fun watching them suffer."

"That too."

Lorelei stared at him for a second. Well, at least he admitted it. "Sadist."

"You enjoy this too," Law teased.

She smirked, surprising him. "Of course."

They watched silently for another minute or two.

Law sighed. "We'll be late at this rate."

Lor jogged up to the crew. "Come on. Run."

"But—" Bepo began.

" _Run_ ," Lor repeated, voice low.

The group looked at each other hesitantly for only a moment, before they broke into a quick trot. Lor could slam her head against a tree at this point. Because they were nowhere _near_ quiet. She sighed and hung back, watching the village for any sign of people awakening.

It was quiet as a leafy tree on a windy day.

But then again the sound came from behind her, where the crew was _not_ quietly jogging, so she supposed it was okay. Still watching the village, she took several steps backwards, before she turned and ran to join the crew.

"Everything's fine," she murmured, and Bepo yelped, a little extra bounce entering his next step.

Law _almost_ made the same sound. His heart merely leapt to his throat and choked the sound before it escaped his throat.

How the _hell_ did someone run, carrying metal weapons, without making a single noise?! He glanced down. And she was wearing _heeled boots_ , for goodness sakes!

"Ghost," he muttered.

"No, just well trained," she said, amused. To think it was this easy to sneak up on her captain…

He should be careful. He might make her want to do it again.

Law huffed.

The group ran in cacophonous silence. And when they stopped, it was sudden and in a shocked silence.

"T-this…" Kuzuri began.

"Ah, yes. I forgot to mention that the family estates are surrounded by large gates and the inside guarded by animals," Lor said, expression returning to its usual blank state.

The group stared at her in silence.

"I suppose we should go in," Lor continued, walking up to the giant gate and cocking her head, considering it for a moment. She turned and pointed to the oversized obstacle. "We can climb—"

"No, we can't!" The group shouted.

The gate was covered in spikes pointing in every direction. And one look told them the spikes were covered with more spikes. The viscous purple and green coating on the points did not seem very welcoming either. They scowled at her.

"Hmm…" Lor hummed. "Or we could just open the door."

She moved over to the box on the side. 1-4-8-0.

The gate slid open. She nearly rolled her eyes. How like them, to make the code the numerical version of their favorite word. Hyouban. Reputation.

"Well?" Lor asked, gesturing towards the open gate.

Her gaping crewmates only stood like statues, staring.

"Ladies first," Law said smoothly.

"You just want to see if I get eaten," Lor muttered, but strode proudly through the gate.

Law hid a smirk, following closely behind. "Of course not. You belong to me. I'm hardly going to let some beast eat you, now am I?"

But the moment the grizzly bear barreled towards them, snarling and growling, Law tensed, trying to decide between fight and flight.

Bear. Eaten. Flee. Bear. Eat Lor. Fight.

Law's nodachi slid an inch out of the sheath.

And then his eyes widened, his hands nearly dropping the nodachi when he saw his girlfriend running towards the bear just as quickly.

Law opened his mouth to shout at her, but the grizzly ran over her, knocking her flat against the ground, and stayed. It hovered over her, its teeth travelling closer, closer to her throat. And Law could only watch in horror…

As it whined, nuzzling into her neck, wiping saliva all over her clothes.

"No! I'm going to have to wash these!" Lor laughed. Yes. Laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I missed you too. Now where's Teddy-bear? He should be here to greet me too."

Law's jaw dropped. The images of fluffy cute _easy to care for_ pets disappeared. He was _not_ letting two bears onto his ship!

"Female bear?" Bepo said hopefully, ambling up beside his captain.

Law glanced at the polar bear. Oh. Ohh. He already had a bear on his ship. He couldn't use that excuse anymore.

The grizzly's head shot up, and its eyes narrowed menacingly.

"No. Friends," Lor said firmly, and the grizzly whined again, but settled on its haunches.

Bepo walked shyly towards it. "Hello. I'm Bepo. What's your name?"

The grizzly sniffed, turning its head away.

"I'm sorry," Bepo said sadly.

An eye opened, glancing at the white bear. The grizzly snorted.

"But this is my uniform. It would be embarrassing to walk around naked."

The grizzly huffed.

"I'm sorry…"

"TEDDY-BEAR!" Lor shouted.

Law looked up from the hilarious one sided exchange to watch for another bear approaching.

"TIGER!" Penguin and Shachi screeched.

"TEDDY-BEAR!" Lor cheered, leaping on the white tiger.

It immediately flipped onto its back, tongue lolling out of its mouth as Lor rubbed its large tummy.

Law watched the scene before him.

"Fluffy-cat, come here," Lor ordered.

Law froze, eyes wide in shock. Fluffy-cat the grizzly bear and teddy-bear the tiger?

His brain could not take the senselessness. He was pretty sure a few of his brain cells died, give or take a few dozen.

"Fluffy-cat, Teddy-bear, meet my crew and friends. The Heart Pirates. You do not attack them. And you _especially_ don't attack Law, understood? Law's the one with the spotted hat."

Both animals, as tall as his girlfriend, growled affirmations.

Law didn't need to turn around to know his crew was scared stiff. He wondered what he had gotten himself into, promising to take in her pets. Then again, a tiger and grizzly were the perfect pets for pirates. Any smart person would take off in the other direction when they saw those two creatures coming. And any strong person would run towards the creatures and engage in combat.

He made sure _not_ to think about what that made him and his crew, since they simply stood frozen without running _anywhere_.

"Good! Then let's go!" Lor said curtly, turning on her heel.

Law snapped out of his stupor, and turned to his crew. "You heard her. Let's go."


	33. Chapter 33

Jag: Thanks! I'm planning on putting them into the crew, just as Lor told Law. Besides, don't you think it's about time Bepo gets a female bear companion?

* * *

"Here we are. Stay safe, okay? I'll call for you later," Lor murmured to her… pets, before sending them off with a pat.

The crew, or those who still remained after they met the animals, could hear the sounds of revelry from where they stood. Lights blazed from the windows, bathing the lawn in a golden glow, flashes of silver occasionally flashing across.

Lor inclined her head, and they moved almost silently through the front door.

Unlike in the deadly silent, dark village where civilians slept, it didn't matter if they made noise now. The sounds of glasses clinking, men and women talking and laughing… They more than covered any sound the seven Heart Pirates could make.

Kuzuri noted with a slight frown that Lor made her way through the mansion with practiced ease. It took several minutes before he realized. It was her _home_.

And all of a sudden he felt like he understood his captain's motives, but at the same time felt his suspicions regarding Law's lack of sanity increase.

"The treasury's just down the hall, the room with the oversized door and lock," Lor whispered.

Law stared at her, eyes blank. "Baby pictures."

" _Law_ ," Lor hissed.

" _Lei-ya_ ," Law mimicked.

She shook her head and jogged lightly down the hall, eyes flicking around for any sign of guards. Her family had never hired any, all arrogantly confident in their skills and their guard animals, but she could never know for sure if they had changed.

They hadn't. Just like they hadn't changed the pin to open the gate.

And the exact same pin opened the vault.

Lor stared at the door as it swung open. She didn't know why she was so shocked. She knew it would work. That was why she tried it. But…

That kind of _stupidity_ …

" _Baby pictures_ ," Law insisted through gritted teeth.

And this time Lor really did slam her head against the wall. The crew froze mid-step, staring at her in a mixture of horror and amusement. But they did understand. Their captain was infuriating. He had that effect on most people.

"Fine," Lor growled. "You guys grab everything in the vault and get back to the ship. We'll go get the… _pictures_."

She shot Law a disgusted look just as he sent her a pleased one.

And the two groups split off.

Lor motioned for Law to follow as she took off. He stayed three strides behind her, not so much to follow as to admire her. She ran from shadow to shadow like she was one herself.

You would think grass green hair, pale skin, and white shorts would stick out.

But he could barely see her blur past the doorways, appearing and disappearing from the sight of anybody who could have been watching like a ghost. If anyone saw her, they would have thought it was a mere trick of their eyes, a result of staring at a cacophony of bright lights and sparkling jewelry.

And that was not mentioning the array of bright makeup that would scare a clown.

Law studied _his_ cook's backside for a moment. For a girl who grew up in this kind of rich, noble, stuck up household, she was strange. Law had never met a proper noble before. He had seen a few from afar, such as the Celestial Dragons, but never met them in person, or seen them from up close.

He was pretty sure Kuzuri and Skua didn't count, considering that they had always been the black sheep of the family, and left before they were even teenagers. They spent their childhoods playing with street children instead of noble ones. Neither had ever had the time to absorb the intricacies of being a noble.

Yet in front of him ran a green haired girl who probably had all the time in the world to become a snobby princess, one who wore ridiculously expensive clothes and tacky jewelry, who expected everyone to kiss her feet, and expected never to lift even a finger to work.

Yes. She was strange. A noble who cooked, cleaned, fought, sassed, and scorned the frills nobles were known for.

For a moment he wanted to see just what kind of parents would turn out a noble child like her, but then he decided that he knew.

Neglectful parents.

Law was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice she had stopped. He barreled straight into her, ramming her into a wall and knocking the breath out of her.

"Sorry," he breathed, fingers ghosting over her sides in apology.

She didn't glare at him, and he took that as an apology accepted. She simply tried the doorknob. Finding it locked, she knelt and her knife appeared in her hand. The tip of the knife found its way into the keyhole and moved expertly, and they heard a soft click. The door was open.

Law raised an eyebrow at her.

"Leo taught me," she said. And before he could even feel the jealousy that usually accompanied the other man's name, she quickly added, "Don't tell Mihawk. He says it's not ladylike."

Law snorted back a laugh. Lock picking? Unladylike? And he supposed that it was ladylike to wield knives, flash bare legs, and to be a pirate in general?

He was grinning when he entered the room.

The grin faltered, and his expression mixed shock and awe. It was _her_ room. But it had obviously not been touched in years, probably not since she left the household.

And she had been right when she told him that her family had probably tried to get rid of all traces of her. They hadn't burned or thrown anything away, probably expecting to need the things when they managed to catch her and marry her off to that bastard. So they just crammed any sign of their relation with her into her room.

Still, despite the clutter and the thick layer of dust covering everything, it held an obvious trace of Lorelei.

Her sheets were deep green. Silk, he noted. The room, aside from the clutter, contained a sense of utility and order. It was simple, probably too simple for any noble. But it suited her so well that he was almost surprised.

She stood in the doorway, back against the closed door, watching him move around her room, touching this and that, eyes drinking in one of her past lives. He moved to the closet. For the first time since entering the room, she moved, a hand reaching out to him in horror.

She did _not_ want him seeing—

He opened the closet door, and she groaned. When he turned to look at her, amusement sat clearly on his face.

"You wore dresses," he said.

Lor glared at him silently. Law laughed silently, head once again hidden behind the closet doors. But she knew he was laughing, damn it! Did he think she couldn't see his shoulders shaking?

He bent down, grabbing something. And when he opened the lid of the box, then flipped open the book on top, his face lit up. Bingo. He would take that. His eyes travelled to the rather pretty fabric hanging there. Perhaps he should take that too…

And then the bedroom door slammed open.


	34. Chapter 34

The two jumped, startled, and turned to face the intruder.

Lor's eyes widened. "S—"

"What the hell?!"

"Hakuryou-ya. What a surprise to see you here," Law said smoothly, recovering his composure first.

Smoker's eyes flicked to Lor before returning to Law. He only scowled. When he had returned home for the first time in an eternity—which was actually since Lor left for the first time—he had gone to his little sister's room. He had wanted to see the state of it, since he _knew_ his parents would not want anything to do with a girl who dropped their reputation by several notches.

He had to admit he was glad they hadn't destroyed anything, but he was _not_ pleased to see her actually there. Especially not with _him_.

Was she _insane_? Well, scratch that. Their parents probably would not kill her, since she could always regain their honor by marrying some other rich, high ranking noble marine of their choosing.

Helios was not an option anymore, since she had reduced him to a sniveling, cowering idiot. He almost smirked at the thought. Almost.

But to bring _pirates_ to their former home, and _Trafalgar Law_ …

Was _he_ insane?! Willingly entering a house full of marines… He would have been practically defenseless if they found out he was there.

"Smoker—" Lor began again.

"Get out."

Law raised an eyebrow. Of all the things he thought Smoker would say and do, 'get out' was not one of them. Especially not since he had kidnapped Lorelei from right in front of Smoker's eyes, and especially not since she had had sexual relations with the marine.

Smoker's scowl darkened. "Both of you. Get out. _NOW!_ "

"Smo—"

" _Lor. Out. Now_ ," Smoker growled.

For a moment she contemplated drop kicking him in the head.

Law smirked. "Aren't you going to call the other marines on us? You know, to capture, torture, and kill?"

Lor now also considered drop kicking Law in the head.

"Law, let's go," Lor murmured, quite demurely considering the murderous thoughts running through her mind.

Law's smirk grew. His eyes flicked to Lor, back to Smoker, and then back to _his_ Lorelei. He pressed his lips firmly against hers for a brief second before pulling away. "Sure."

Lor had to fight to keep her expression blank. Men!

As they moved past Smoker, Law felt sadistic glee and pleasure from Smoker's shell shocked expression, the man's cigar falling from his open mouth to smolder on the floor, his body tensed and unmoving.

So before Smoker could wrap his mind around _what Law just did_ , Law grabbed Lor's hand and began to ran. But not before he checked to make sure the box of photographs and the dress he had hurriedly stuffed in was tucked safely under his arm.

Law froze. Lor ran into his back before shuffling back, rubbing her nose, and _then_ she froze.

And the couple staring at them, wide eyed, froze.

The woman's mouth opened to scream.

Law moved faster than Lor would have believed possible, shoving the box and his scabbard at her, his nodachi bared and the edge pressed against the woman's throat. And with her scream choked off and her partner immobile from shock, Law moved more casually behind the woman to trap her between his body and his sword.

He smiled pleasantly.

"I thought this was a family reunion?" Law said to Lor.

"Distant relatives are invited too. And by that I mean very very distant relatives," Lor answered.

Law hummed in understanding. Rich people.

"Now, if you will move, the lady will not get hurt," Law said to the hostage's male partner. "Stay here, do not alert anyone to our presence, and I will free the lady when we are safely out of range."

The man nodded wordlessly. He must have been a low ranking marine, to comply so easily with a pirate's demands. But then again… Two supernova rookies with bounties of over 400 million beli's was nothing to laugh at.

They walked past. But suddenly the man's hand shot out, grabbing Lor's arm. "W-why are you with _him_?"

"My, I knew you were ignorant, but I didn't know you were illiterate too. Or did you think you were too good to read the news?" Lor said amiably, her tone and words unmatched.

Law chuckled, eyes meeting hers over his shoulder. She sent him a small smile, and fell into step next to him.

"Please," the hostage whispered. "Please don't do this. Lorelei."

Lor blinked, face blank. The hostage recognized her? She searched her mind for any sign that she knew the woman, but she came up with nothing.

Then again, she never really paid any attention to her family. If she ran into her parents, she probably wouldn't recognize them either.

So Lor simply shrugged, and the woman started sobbing quietly.

They left the estates, Lor sounding a piercing whistle, and Teddy-bear and Fluffy-cat came running. Law felt like scrubbing down his mind with a wire brush every time he heard the names. She may have been three when she named them, but couldn't they change the names now? 'Teddy-bear' the tiger and 'Fluffy-cat' the bear were terrifying. If they attacked, weaker enemies would die for sure.

But the names were ridiculous. If enemies heard the names, they would probably die of laughter.

Law snuck a glance at Lor. It was a discussion for later.

Only when they made it into the night air and halfway across the distance between the village and estates did they hear footsteps thundering towards them.

Law considered pushing the woman away and running, but before he could, the owners of the feet appeared and Law held the woman tighter, his blade almost drawing blood from her throat.

" _Trafalgar Law_ ," Smoker growled.

Behind him stood the woman's partner, but nobody else. Good, Law thought. They still had a chance, if the two had not alerted the rest of the marines to their presence. And judging from the sounds of the party continuing on, Law knew that they had not told anybody.

" _Trafalgar Law!_ " Smoker half yelled.

Law sighed. Was Smoker only capable of shouting his name? He remembered that it was practically the same as when he had kidnapped Lorelei. The man's face was beet red, tight with rage. His fists clenched and unclenched, hovering over the jutte that hung at his waist for the party. Weapons on one's back wasn't very polite, Law suspected. He didn't think hanging them at the hip was any better, but he was not a noble, and thus did not know how they thought.

" _What the fuck did you do to my sister?!_ " Smoker roared.

Oh. So that was why he was so angry. Law shrugged and shoved the hostage away, causing her to stumble into the arms of her partner. And he turned and grabbed Lor's hand, and _ran_.

" _TRAFALGAR LAW! Keep your damned hands off my sister!_ "

Law's footsteps faltered, and he stopped to stare over his shoulder in confusion as Smoker stormed his way. He knew he should run, but he had already released…

Lor let go of his hand, and Law was left staring blankly at his empty hand.

"Smoker," Lor said, putting a hand on the man's chest and halting him.

Law was a little interested to see some of rage drain out of the marine's face, but he wasn't at all pleased with their proximity.

And then Smoker looked up, locked eyes with Law, and the rage was back.

" _Onii-chan_ ," Lor said sharply, her tone carrying a warning.

Smoker snapped back as if he had been slapped. "Lor, _him_?"

Law blinked, all thoughts flying out of his mind. 'Onii-chan'?! He could only stare at the scene, dumbfounded.

"Yes. Him. Okay?" Lor said soothingly.

"Has he ever hurt you?"

"No."

A lie, Law thought.

"Have you ever had sex with him?"

"No!"

Not a lie. But he smirked a little as Lor's ears turned red.

"Okay then. Tell me if he does anything, and I'll kill him for you," Smoker nodded, turned on his heel, and walked away.


	35. Chapter 35

Chasesgirl11: Thanks for the follow and fave!

Jag: Yes. I suppose he will. But I'm buying time with this chapter, so he'll start interrogating her in the next chapter. I spent some time thinking about how he would react to the revelation. In fact, I was originally planning not to even let the readers know that Smoker was her brother until Law knew, but it's more interesting to see how the characters react to a surprise you already know about, don't you think?

* * *

"Head count!" Law bellowed the moment he stepped into the sub.

"All present, captain!" Kuzuri replied. "And the estate vault empty."

Law smirked. "Good."

He didn't feel any guilt. Lor had led them in, after all, and if she cared for her family, she would not have done so. Hadn't she once told him that the only family member she cared about was her brother?

Law shot her a glance, which she pointedly did not notice. They needed to talk.

"H-hello, F-fluffy-c-c-at-sama," Bepo stuttered, smiling shyly as he walked up to the grizzly.

Ah yes. They had to talk about _that_ too, Law thought wryly.

The bear pointedly ignored him, just as the cat pointedly ignored the crew as it sniffed at everything.

Law raised an eyebrow. Like mistress like pet?

But he would have time to ponder the mysteries of the relationship between pet and master personalities later. Maybe over some psychology books. It had been a while since he had read those.

"We leave. Now," Law ordered, and the crew set to work.

He wanted to leave before the reunion ended and the marines started leaving, before the family discovered that they had been robbed blind while they partied. They would probably continue until the crack of dawn, unless Smoker said something. And if the man didn't?

Law smirked. He had given Bepo a note to leave behind. He wondered when they would get it. He half wished he would be there to see their reaction, but would rather not. After all, they would probably go for his head with their teeth bared and their weapons out, and would behave very much unlike the gentlemen and gentlewomen they were.

"I'll start dinner," Lor said, and headed for the kitchen.

Law followed her, intending to get questions answered—

Only to be blocked by Teddy-bear growling at him, guarding the kitchen door at Lor's orders.

Law scowled at the oversized cat. Its hackles went up. And Law huffed, spinning on his heel and returning to his room.

It wasn't until he lay on his bed, trying to figure out exactly _what_ happened that day, that he figured out _he had lost to a cat_.

And the very same cat came to get him for dinner.

He could _swear_ it—no, _he_ —was smirking at him. Law scowled.

Dinner was quiet, for a successful looting. But Law didn't have to think twice to know why. Everybody was wary of the cat, even if the sight of Bepo trying to gain the attention and affection of the grizzly had tamed their fear of the bear.

"Do you want my fish?" Bepo asked.

Fluffy-cat grunted.

"Is there anything you want? Seconds? Water? I'll get it for you," Bepo offered.

The grizzly snarled a little before huffing and turning its head away.

Bepo's ears drooped. Law sighed, and quickly finishing his meal, walked up to the first mate and leaned down to whisper in Bepo's ear.

"Keep trying. I'm sure she's just…" Law thought hard, searching for a term he would associate with Lor. " _Tsundere_."

Well, Lorelei wasn't _exactly_ tsundere. More like kuudere, perhaps, especially towards him when they first met. But he personally thought she was a little too difficult to understand to classify like the other females he had had the displeasure of making a _very_ brief acquaintance with.

Tsundere seemed to fit the grizzly, though, if the bear didn't really dislike Bepo. He really hoped… ugh… Fluffy-cat would warm up to Bepo. His first mate deserved a female bear after longing for one for so many years.

Law moved towards the kitchen. He needed to talk with Lor. Her relationship with Smoker. He wanted to know. He _needed_ to know. The kitchen was probably not the best place for such a discussion, if Teddy-bear even let him in, but if the cat was guarding the door, it also meant that their discussion would be _private_.

He didn't even make it to the kitchen door.

"Teddy-bear, Fluffy-cat, seconds?" Lor asked, stepping out of the kitchen.

Law winced at the name, and he noticed out of the corner of his eyes that his crew were torn between laughing and feeling terrified.

"Lei-ya," Law said, hesitating a little. "Can we give them new names?"

Lor blinked, turned to her pets. "What do you think?"

It may have been his imagination, but Law thought he saw the two animals seem a little _too_ eager for the name change.

"Alright, then. You're Alaskan Malamute. Laska for short," Lor said, pointing to the white tiger. "And you're… Reindeer."

Law blinked. And he blinked again. He didn't even notice the utter silence in the mess hall as everyone stared at Lor.

"You're… naming a bear Reindeer and naming a tiger after a breed of _dog_?!" Law finally managed to say.

Lor furrowed her eyebrows, cocking her head in confusion. It was kind of cu—and Law cut off the thought.

"I thought we were going with the cold climate animal theme?" Lor asked.

Law stared at her, then turned and slowly surveyed his crew. He hadn't noticed before. But all his crew members, save Jean Bart, had cold climate animal related names. And Bepo was a _polar bear_. Not to mention that Lor was a 'siren', also from cooler, wetter areas. Namely the ocean, but that didn't matter.

"I… guess," Law said reluctantly. Then his brows furrowed, his head cocked in an imitation of her earlier expression. "What am I?"

"Snow leopard," Lor answered immediately. "Because of your hat."

Law blinked, and nodded. He could deal with that.

"So are you alright with those names?" Lor asked her dear pets.

The animals thought for a moment. The names were… strange, to say the least. And it would be difficult to get used to a new name after so many years being called 'Teddy-bear' and 'Fluffy-cat'. The people that they hated yet smelled mildly like their master and mistress even though their master and mistress hated the people paid them no mind as long as the servants fed them and they guarded the estate. That was why there was nobody who ever called their names after mistress Lorelei left. Because their names were _ridiculous_ and even they knew it. They knew it ever since their master, Smoker, refused to call them by name.

Reindeer and Alaskan Malamute. They would gladly take the names.

"Alright," Lor murmured, smiling and rubbing them behind the ears.

They would gladly take the names. Because _anything_ would be better than 'Teddy-bear' and 'Fluffy-cat'.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Thanks to Sparrowhawk8.20 and IDon'tFreakingKnowYou for the follows/favs.

* * *

"Lei-ya."

"Oh, look at all the dirty dishes. I should wash them before the food dries. It hardens, you know, and becomes a pain to scrub off."

…

"Lei-ya."

"Ah! So much dirty laundry! Does anybody have any clean clothes left to wear?!"

…

"Lei-ya..."

"Kuzuri, let me help you clean your room. It's a pigsty."

…

" _Lei-ya_ …"

"Oh, Bepo, are you hun—"

"LEI-YA!" Law half shouted.

"Yes, Law?" Lor asked sweetly, as if she hadn't been avoiding him for the entire day.

He scowled.

"Bepo, are you hungry?" Lor turned, ignoring him once again.

"No, he isn't," Law snapped.

"But—" Bepo began, but the moment Law sent him a glare, he slinked away with a weak "I'm sorry".

"Law, that was cruel," Lor said, eyes already searching for a new escape route.

"Lei-ya, we need to talk."

"That's the worst thing someone can ever say to you, you know. Break ups, pregnancies, marriage problems, business problems… All discussions about bad things begin with that line," Lor said absently, taking a step towards Skua's room..

Only to have Law grab her wrist.

"We need to talk," he repeated firmly.

She looked longingly at Skua's door for a moment, before she sighed. "Okay."

Lor followed him reluctantly through the halls of the sub, wondering where Teddy—no, Reindeer and Laska were. They would probably save her from the embarrassing questioning sure to come. Perhaps she could make a break for it—but Law held her wrist lightly, fingers ready to clamp down in case she tried to run.

She stared at his back, discomfort and nervousness swelling up within her. Law was visibly tensed, as if preparing himself. No. As if he was furious.

Would he break up with her? Kick her off the crew? Her heart clenched for a moment, her breath caught in her throat.

But then she forced herself to relax. He wouldn't do that. He needed a cook. And if he was going to do something like that, he wouldn't have been so friendly with her earlier, wouldn't be touching her.

Lor bit her lip, sneaking a glance at his back. It was still tense.

Was he disgusted…?

What was she thinking? Of _course_ he would be disgusted! It was incest. It was something society frowned upon, even pirates. Inbreeding had died out _ages_ ago, even in noble and royal families.

Not to mention Law seemed to hold a vendetta against Smoker…

"In," Law growled, yanking her wrist, sending her stumbling into his room.

He closed the door, and, oh kami, _locked_ it.

Lor averted her eyes, biting down on her lip.

"Lei-ya, we need to talk," Law finally said, for what felt like the hundredth time, before sitting down.

"Oh, for goodness sakes!" Lor burst out. "Just get it over with! Are you going to dump me? Kick me out? Boil me? Dissect me? Cut me into pieces and feed me to the sharks?"

Law froze, taken aback. He blinked once, twice. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know."

He bit back a chuckle, feeling the tension drain out of him. He knew it wasn't her intention, but she completely calmed him down with that uncharacteristic outburst. Was she _nervous_?

How cute.

"Well, let's start with something easy, hmm?" Law said smoothly. "When were you a marine?"

Lorelei stared at him for a second, sighed. "They put me into the Academy when I was seven. I graduated when I was nine. And because I only listened to Smoker, they put me on his ship. I stayed there until my parents brought me home at thirteen. And I was forced to re-enlist for a year when I was seventeen."

"What happened between thirteen and seventeen?" Law asked.

He already had an idea, but he wanted her to confirm it and fill in the blanks.

Her eyes went blank.

"Thirteen. Began training to become a housewife, became engaged. Fourteen. Almost-rape by Helios. Slept with Smoker because I knew Helios would try again, and I would rather give my first time to the only person who cared about me," Lor paused. "In hindsight I was right."

Law's fists clenched and unclenched as he was reminded of the monster. If he _ever_ met Helios again…

"Apparently my parents said Helios had the right to do that, so Smoker helped me run away from home."

Law held back a growl. If he _ever_ met her _parents_ …

"Long story short, sailed the Grand Line, ended up on Kuraigana, met Mihawk—in a really creepy abandoned castle, by the way—and joined his crew. It was…" Lor paused, a small smile on her face. "Probably the happiest years of my life."

Law felt his brow twitch, fought back a scowl, fought to keep his face blank. What was he, mushy sea king dung? Then he blinked. Okay, horrid image. He must never think that again.

"Then we got caught in a trap. Without Mihawk. And Helios… Humiliated me. And he forced me to kill Rolo," Lor said quietly. "I will never forgive myself for that. My crew won't either. I don't expect them to. I don't even know why Mihawk could treat me normally after that."

"How…" Law began, then hesitated.

Those were obviously bad memories. Did he really want to ask how someone could be forced to kill someone else?

"It was my fault. I could have chosen to fight. But I wasn't thinking right. Not after…" Lor paused to clear her throat. "And he made me choose between killing one of them and him killing everyone. So I killed Rolo, and the others went free."

Who was 'he'? Law wanted to ask, but he had the niggling suspicion that he knew. And he also knew that she had left out quite a bit. Including the reason why she freaked out when he tried to… _scare_ her that time.

"Lei-ya," Law said softly. "Enough."

She almost met his eyes for the first time since entering his room, and he stiffened. Her eyes were overly shiny.

"Ah, shit," Law spat out the rare curse word, then felt like he had to repeat it. "Shit. Lei-ya, don't cry…"

"I'm not crying!" And she contradicted herself by giving a small sniff and swiping away the unshed tears. She paused, added, "Idiot."

"Of course you aren't. So how many times did you sleep with Hakuryou-ya?"

"Don't patronize me," Lor pouted, and glanced sheepishly at him. "Five."

"Five." Law's face went blank.

"Five," Lor repeated, nodding. "I went to him the first four times. He came to me once. Stress."

It went against the image he had of the marine. Strict, rule-following, just. Definitely the last man he would ever think of committing incest.

Five.

"It wasn't his fault! I went to him!" Lor continued, eyes growing hard. "So if you _dare_ blame him…"

"Have you slept with anyone else?" Law asked, then added, "Willingly?"

"No."

"Do you love him?" Came the unexpected question.

"Yes."

"More than me?" Law's fists clenched, dreading the answer.

"It's a different love," Lor corrected.

Then she stiffened, eyes wide with horror. Law frowned, cocking his head. She was turning an interesting shade of red…

And then he was forced to turn his face aside, one hand covering his nose and mouth.

"Law… Law, I didn't mean…" Lorelei began. "I mean you can forget I said that if you want. I mean…" She blinked, the words trailing off into confusion. And amusement. "Law, are you _blushing_?"

"No," Law snapped too quickly, turning further away.

She said she loved him. Kami, she _loved_ him. His heart thundered so loudly in his chest that he just _knew_ she could hear.

And it felt… quite good.

"You _are_ ," Lorelei said, moving closer.

Law retreated.

And suddenly her face was practically in his, and he could feel her warm breath fan out over the back of his hand. Smirking mischievously, she tugged his hand away, pinning him to the chair.

"You are," Lor breathed.

"Shut up," Law growled, feeling the heat in his cheeks.

Lor laughed, and he felt his heart lift even more, if that was possible.

"How cute," she said, pressing her forehead against his. "Does this mean you _don't_ want to forget I said that?"

Law responded by catching her lips with his, in an almost desperate kiss. The questions he had left flew out of his mind.

She _loved_ him.

"Love you too," he murmured, and knew it was true.

She froze, and turned pink. He grinned.

"Lei-ya," Law said, tone a lot lighter.

"Hmm?"

Law smirked, reaching to the side and holding up the open photo album. "Interesting pictures. You were just as cute as I expected."

Her jaw dropped, her cheeks turning red in mortification. " _LAW!_ "


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Thanks, kyuppi, WolfChild23, and sweedflicka for the fav/follow!

I apologize for the slow updates. Serious writer's block. I have no idea how to progress slowly and naturally into the climax...

* * *

A roar of rage echoed through the mansion. Servants cowered. Heck, even the man's _family_ cowered.

"Oh, calm down," Stanfield Midas said, watching Rhine Ares storm around the room.

The man paced like a tornado, footsteps echoing through the room, bouncing off marble walls. He was furious, and he had the right to be.

Except he had been throwing the same tantrum for half a week, and everybody was sick of it. Do you know how _hard_ it was to clean the house while tiptoeing on eggshells? Anything could set the man off, and he was dangerous enough when he wasn't angry.

And when his mind was clouded with thoughts of wrath, he would kill _anyone_.

Apparently, Midas was the only one who could calm him down. Which was the reason Ares' wife called Midas on a den den mushi the moment the tantrum began. Sex was terrible when Ares was enraged. He inflicted pain, and she _didn't_ _like_ pain. He apologized afterwards, of course, but apologies did not remove the bruises and scratches all over her body.

"Calm down? _CALM DOWN_?!" Ares roared. "My coffers are _empty_! Stolen by that… that _PIRATE_! And _Trafalgar Law_ had the _audacity_ to leave a fucking _note_!"

"Hmm," was all Midas said.

"And that _thrice damned daughter of mine_ was with him!" Ares hissed.

Now _that_ drew Midas' attention. "Lorelei? Lorelei was here?"

Ares only growled, glaring at Midas.

"Lorelei was _here_ and _you_ _didn't_ _grab her_?!" Midas demanded, growing furious.

"You expected me to know she was here? What do you think I have, a Vivre Card?" Ares scowled.

"Yes, I expect you to have a Vivre Card! She's your cursed _daughter_ , for kami's sake!"

"Well, I didn't exactly have time to ask for one when she _ran away from home_!"

"And who's fault do you think _that_ was?" Midas asked, miffed.

" _YOURS!_ "

That gave Midas a pause. He thought it over.

"Ours," Midas corrected.

And a string of curses very unbecoming of a nobleman and a marine left Ares' mouth.

* * *

"Captain! Land sighted!" Bepo shouted, running in excited circles.

"Land?" Penguin asked.

"LAND!" Shachi yelled, laughing like a lunatic.

At this point in time, none of them cared what kind of island it was. It could be filled with ghosts or leak poisonous gas that would kill them in an hour, and they would still disembark.

Thankfully, Kuzuri and Skua had done some research, and it was a rather safe, inhabited island with nice villagers and no marine base, where they could restock their dwindling supplies with some of the money they had stolen from Lor's family.

"Alright, calm down," Law told the celebrating crew, amused.

To be so happy about a mere land mass… But he couldn't really blame them. No matter how much he liked his sub, he himself wanted his legs on solid ground.

He also wanted all the waste, organic and inorganic, off his sub. It _stank_. He half hoped a few members of his crew would get into trouble. It would give him an excuse to send them to clean the sub, to scrub it from top to bottom and wash everything, including the clothes and sheets, so it smelled fresh again.

Over the past few weeks, Law _had_ considered ordering the only female in the crew to do the dirty work, but her temper was visibly fraying at the edges. The moment he saw her shred vegetables with her bare hands instead of using the knife, and then bake meatloaf with vegetables and crackers and no meat because one or two idiots in the crew irritated her, he decided to refrain from giving her any orders. Law eventually _did_ want to have sex with her. He also hated it when she ignored him, which was the least she would do if he told her to do _all_ that work.

Law stumbled as the sub _jumped_ , moving forward in the water at full throttle… Only to jerk to a violent stop, throwing everyone to the floor, save those who had the sense to hold on to something the moment the sub lurched the first time. Law was quite glad he kept his dignity when his crew tumbled past, rolling head over heel.

The moment the hatch opened, the crew practically burst out of the sub.

"Land! Sweet, sweet land!" Kuzuri cried, flinging himself to the earth and kissing it over and over.

Spending two months cooped up on a submarine with no sign of land anywhere was not very good for their mental health. Nor for their physical health, but with a genius surgeon as their captain, they didn't have to worry about their physical health.

But as Lor watched Kuzuri kiss the ground, the girl utterly amused by the sight, she pondered the necessity of a psychologist as well. Then she quickly decided that they didn't need one. Not only would Law be extremely offended at the suggestion that they needed another medical professional on board, but she also thought it was too late for some of them.

Kuzuri, for one, had more than a few screws loose.

"If you develop some nasty disease, I'm kicking you off the sub. Even if we're in the middle of the ocean," Law said, walking past the navigator without sparing him a glance.

Said navigator immediately shot to his feet. He swiped furiously at his lips, rubbing the dirt off and staining the white boiler suit. He glared balefully at the ground, sneering in distaste.

"Don't be rude to the dirt. You're hurting it more than it's hurting you, when you're the one stepping all over it all the time," Lor said, brushing past the navigator. "And Law, don't blame the ground if he gets a disease. Blame his stupidity."

"Ah yes. Good point," Law's voice said.

"Hey!" Kuzuri shouted, indignant.

But he still decided against glaring at his captain. He had seen the _glint_ in the man's eyes when he observed the horrid state of the submarine, right before he eyed the crew with a calculating look.

Kuzuri considered himself a smart man. He knew when not to give his captain an excuse to punish him, especially when it meant cleaning out the sub.

"How true," Penguin snickered as he walked past Kuzuri, Shachi at his side.

"Absolutely," Shachi added with a smirk of his own.

Kuzuri stuck his tongue out at them, but it only served to make them laugh harder. So he took a few jogging steps forward and whipped his leg out. It was his turn to laugh as they face planted into the dirt and came up sputtering, faces twisted in disgust at how _bad_ dirt tasted. He shot them a smug look and jogged forward next to his captain and cook, because he knew that if they started anything it would be on their heads.

Even if he _had_ just kicked them in the butt.


	38. Chapter 38

Edo Levy: Thank you. I have two word summaries for each chapter up to chapter 64, so I know _what_ I want to write. I just have to find out _how_ I'm going to write it.

* * *

The island was creepy, the crew concluded in a rare moment of complete agreement after spending no more than five minutes in town.

No, there weren't any ghosts or haunted houses. And there wasn't any blood and gore, nor were there any execution or torture devices.

In fact, Kuzuri thought, he might have welcomed the above more than _this_. As it was, the island was creepy and uncomfortable, and he found himself thinking that if he had known, he would have stayed on the sub, even though he was utterly sick of it after being stuck on it for two months.

Heck, he would even welcome scrubbing it from top to bottom right then, if it meant getting him away from the island and its… inhabitants.

"Hello," person number fifty four greeted with a large smile.

"H-hello," Bepo stuttered, returning a shy smile.

"How cute. You talk," person number fifty four said, not at all fazed by the sight of a talking polar bear in an orange jumpsuit, and walked away.

"Hello. Nice day isn't it?" Person number fifty five said, smiling and nodding at the pirates.

"Y-yeah," Penguin stammered, still stunned.

What was _wrong_ with this place?! They were _pirates_ , for goodness sakes! People did not _greet_ pirates, especially not with large, cheerful smiles on their faces! Pirates were supposed to feared! Respected! Fearfully respected!

The crew knew they didn't exactly _dress_ like pirates, with their white boiler suits and all. Their uniform screamed 'mechanics' or 'plumbers' more than they screamed 'pirates'. But they all carried weapons. And they had the jolly roger printed on their un-pirate-like boiler suits.

If they were not as famous as they were, they wouldn't mind, really. People greeting them would make sense if they didn't look like pirates _and_ were practically unknown. It was nice to be anonymous sometimes. Namely when they were on islands with large marine populations.

But this island only had civilians, they did not seem to hold any ill feelings or terror towards the group at all, and on top of that, they were _irritatingly cheerful_ to see the pirates.

Kuzuri glanced back at the dock, not a hundred feet away from where they stood near the outskirts of the town. Perhaps…

But no. Their submarine was clearly visible. And even more importantly, their _black pirate flag_ _with_ _their jolly roger_ was clearly visible.

There was no mistaking it, really. They were pirates, no matter how anyone looked at them. From the front they had jolly rogers. From behind they had weapons of various types and sizes strapped to their belts.

Not to mention that the island's inhabitants were _still_ cheerfully greeting the crew when dozens of wanted posters for Trafalgar Law and Rhine Lorelei were plastered not ten feet from where the crew stood, on a large bulletin board.

"Hello! Welcome to our humble village," a rather portly man in his mid fifties said with a large smile. "I am Chun, the mayor."

The crew stared. Their expressions were blank, their cheerfulness meter overloaded.

"You are the Heart Pirates, correct? It is an honor to meet the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law, and the Siren Lorelei," the mayor continued.

If possible, the crew's expressions turned duller, their eyes glazing over. It was too much. Not only were people _cheerfully_ greeting them, but the man actually said he was _honored_ to have them there when he knew _exactly_ who they were.

The only time anybody ever said they were honored to meet them was when the person was terrified out of their mind, about to piss their pants, and hoping that a lot of ass kissing would save their lives.

Fortunately, Lor used to be a marine, and knew how to deal with such behavior. "Nice to meet you too, sir. We are here for supplies and rest. If there is an inn available, preferably near a tavern, it would be much appreciated."

"Ah, of course. The Lucky Pirate will be pleased to accommodate all of you. Your pets, of course, are welcome as well," the mayor said happily.

Well. That explained it. Law was a surgeon and a brilliant doctor, which meant he was smart. Smarter than the rest of his crew, even though they were no idiots either. In terms of their mental capacity, at least, even if they did tend to behave like grunts with no more than two brain cells to their name. That meant Law recovered more quickly than the rest of them, wrapping his mind around the strange phenomenon of actually landing on a civilian island that considered pirates a good thing.

It didn't mean he fully understood it. Because he couldn't. He had always considered pirates a plague on society, despite being one himself. But he was able to accept it for now, and put his questions aside for later.

After all, it wouldn't do for a captain to act like a dunce.

Especially not in front of his Lorelei.

"May I ask how long you are staying?" The mayor asked, wringing his hands, eyes widening in hope.

"A week," Law replied, recalling that it would take the log pose that amount of time to set.

For a moment he considered using another log pose, since this one brought them to an island _two whole months_ away, but he dismissed the idea. It wasn't like the island would sell any—

"Ah. How wonderful! It means we can have our festival to celebrate your arrival!" The mayor clapped.

Law's mind almost went blank again. Celebrate. Arrival. Pirates.

"We will be prepared in a day. In the meantime, please enjoy yourselves. There is a lot of alcohol available, and the markets will sell you any supplies you need. There are also log poses and instruction manuals and books for those of you who tend towards more intellectual pursuits," the mayor said.

Okay, so the island did sell log poses.

Law found himself dumbfounded. Did the island cater specifically to pirates or something? Because an inn called the Lucky Pirate was a hint, but having a supply of everything a pirate may need ready for sale was a glaring neon sign that blinked on and off, drawing as much attention as possible.

The moment Law realized he was spacing out again, he shook his head once firmly, and decided to ask his questions later. All he needed to know at the moment was that the island had what they needed, and they were willing to sell it to them. If he paid enough, he could probably hire someone to do the dirty work. He needed to lighten the submarine a little. They had taken a _lot_ of treasure from Lor's home, and gold was _heavy_. It made the submarine reluctant to surface, and that was never a good thing. For now, he wanted his crew settled, his sub cleaned, and the problem of a painful lack of supplies corrected.

And maybe find a way to convince Lor to share his room in the inn.


	39. Chapter 39

Edo Levy: I'm surprised that people don't really reply. I like reviews, and I like talking to my reviewers. As long as the story isn't complete, I always post my replies in the next chapter. I don't really feel pressure to write right now, since I finished uni and am on 'holiday', and I really don't want to see my family. Really, living with people is annoying. So I write. And I'm writing four stories at once (the idiot I am), so I shift between stories whenever I feel writer's block. Then when I come back after the cycle, I realize that I can write a lot. I wish I started earlier. This is a lot of fun.

A/N: I have no idea how to write good lime/lemon/smut. Anybody have any suggestions? Take a look at Death's Resonance Extras for the level of lemon and lime I am capable of at this point in time. (Oh kami. I can't believe I'm actually writing something like that...)

* * *

"No," Lor deadpanned, staring blankly at him.

"It saves money," Law attempted.

"I am not sleeping with you," Lor said. "Tell the others to pair up if you want to save money so badly."

He slinked behind her, wrapping his around her waist and nipping the top of her ear. "You liked the idea when my room was air conditioned."

"You weren't trying to get into my pants then," Lor pointed out.

Law faked a hurt expression, even though she couldn't see it when he stood behind her. "What makes you think I want to now?"

Silence fell for a moment.

"So you _don't_ want to have sex with me?" Lor asked, a single brow raised.

Law paused, thinking hard. The question was bad. Very bad. If he said yes, it would confirm her suspicions regarding his intentions. It was true, but if she knew that for sure, she would definitely get her own room. But if he said no… Well, that could mean a pretty big sea king obstacle in their relationship. Kami, she could even ask, 'so I'm not attractive?' if he said no. And if that happened, they would forever go in circles between the two questions.

Which meant Law was doomed to sleep on his bed alone. Forever.

He was _male_ for goodness sakes. He had male urges, like every normal male. And he hadn't had any sex since he met her. Not even with April, considering that he had lost his ability to… perform with the other girl after meeting Lor. He hadn't known why. Just assumed it was due to stress from the infuriating hostage slash cook. And after he realized that he could possibly harbor feelings for her, he started going after her. Subtly, of course.

He could have still slept with whores. But finding a man who went to whores or slept with other women did not exactly sound appealing to girls. Besides, who knew what diseases other women had. He was a doctor, and knew very well what could happen. He had no interest in those women.

Not to mention that he had inadvertently started to look for green hair and emotionless faces when he looked through women to satisfy his needs with for just one night, and found none.

He sighed a little, puffing a breath of cold air into her ear, and was rewarded with a small yelp of surprise. But he didn't let her go when she struggled. Rather, he held her closer, making sure no space was left between their bodies. Law had already asked for only enough rooms for him and the crew, of course, leaving Lor to sleep with him. If she wanted a room of her own, she had to either ask for one and pay for it—which Law would definitely _not_ allow—or go back to the sub. She wouldn't, though, and Law knew that. The submarine stank really badly after so long, even though they left the door open to air out the sub every time they surfaced. If she returned after getting so much fresh air, the smells she had almost gone nose-blind to would hit her like one of Luffy's punches.

He pulled at her, taking a slow step after another, leading her to his room. Their room. He wasn't giving her a choice in whether she shared his room, or his bed. Sex, on the other hand… Of course, he wouldn't do something as stupid and rash as raping her. He did love her, after all.

Oh, kami. He still couldn't believe he had admitted it to her. She probably felt the same about her confession, but that only made him feel mildly better. It was _embarrassing_. Pirates did not _love_. He never believed _he_ could love. Until his dratted cook wormed her way into his life.

He glared at the pale skin of her neck and bit down, earning another yelp. He then kicked his door open and yanked her inside before practically slamming the door shut and locking it. The key he slid into his back pocket.

Then he turned and prowled towards his lover.

When Law started stalking towards her, looking every bit like a predator closing in on its prey, Lor started to back away. It wasn't like she was new to sex, nor was it that she didn't love him. She did, no matter how much she hated to admit it. And she did eventually want to sleep with him, with no sleeping involved.

So why did she keep running away?

She had been the one who approached Smoker. It had been a bold move, and she realized just how bold. She practically seduced her older brother and slept with him, and yet, now that Law was chasing her, she was nervous.

Had she gained weight? Would she be any good? What if she disappointed him? What if, kami forbid, he slept with her and dumped her? What if all he wanted was sex, and he threw her away after? What if she didn't satisfy him? What if…

Law pounced.

She yelped for the third time in the past fifteen minutes, and she fell back onto the soft bed with a loud 'poof', with Law hovering over her. Unlike what she expected, he stayed there motionless, simply watching her. Observing. She found herself staring back. It was stupid, she realized. Most of her questions were redundant, gearing towards the same two insecurities. And a man like Law was probably used to receiving confessions of love. For him to turn red like that when _she_ said she loved him… Well, that had to say something, right?

Without any more hesitation, Lor reached up. Hooking her hand around the back of his neck, she dragged the surprised Law down to her and locked her lips to his.

As much as Law would have loved to kiss her hard, with fiery passion, he kept it soft and slow, as if he could just sink into her. With one hand keeping his balance, the other crept up her shirt, roaming velvet skin, never lingering anywhere.

He stopped when his knuckles located the bottom of her bra, and his fingers skimmed over the fabric. Law made a sound of annoyance deep in his throat. He wanted it gone. But the clasp was at her back, which was attached to the surface of the bed.

"Up," he murmured, tapping her side with his fingertips.

A devious smirk formed on her lips in a silent 'no'. Law scowled. His lips brushed against her jaw before travelling down her neck, nipping a little too hard here and there. She gasped, but she didn't push him away, instead pulling him closer. He smirked against her neck. A closet masochist?

He could deal with that.

But then he froze, pressing his mouth to her neck to muffle a low groan as her hands roamed the contour of his muscles, her touch lightly sweeping across bare skin. Her hands travelled lower and lower…

Onto his leg.

She ran a hand down his thigh, the other moving up and down his side. He pushed himself up onto his hands to scowl down at her. The devious smirk was back, her eyes glinting with mischief. She knew exactly what she was doing to him.

Oh, she was going to get it now.

He shoved her shirt up, revealing her stomach before his head dove down, tongue lapping at exposed skin. Law reached for the bra, intending to pull off the offending material even if it meant ripping the stupid thing.

 _Knock knock_.

The two froze, identical looks of alarm on their faces. The knocking sound came from their door once again, and Law groaned, this time with frustration. He was going to _maim_ whoever had interrupted. He moved off Lor, letting her fix her shirt—unfortunately, since he was enjoying the view—and walked to the door, grabbing Kikoku on the way.

An amused Lorelei hurried after him, grabbing the nodachi as Law opened the door, preventing him from drawing it and slicing whoever was on the other side to pieces.

Good thing, too.

"Captain, the crew—" Bepo began, then faltered when he saw the murderous look on the man's face. "I'm sorry!"

And the bear ran away, leaving Lor laughing lightly at the captain. The mood was completely gone.

Lor tugged at his sleeve, pulling him back into the room. "Come on. Let's go to sleep."


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Kimi Saruby and Etherelle-thanks for the follows/faves!

chasesgirl11: Haha! Yeah. It's like I just remembered that I rated the story M, and it needed some fan service.

* * *

With the dawn came a rude awakening.

The villagers were all cheering, practically shaking the island with the force of the noise. Law groaned and flipped the pillow over to cover his head. Something warm and nice smelling snuggled deeper into his chest, trying to block out the infernal noise. Lorelei. Law automatically wrapped an arm around her, dragging her closer, as if there wasn't already so little space between them that not even a drop of water could trickle past them.

They fully expected the noise to pass after a few moments, but it didn't. The roaring continued, the ground shaking underneath their bed. In fact, the cheers grew louder, and the rough noise of metal clashing against metal rang out into the air. Law stiffened for a moment, but the noise was rhythmic, and not the chaotic clanging of a battle.

Not to mention that the cheers remained cheers, and never became screams of fear or agony.

Finally, it was clear that they wouldn't be getting any more sleep. Lor sat up and kissed Law briefly before she rolled off the bed. He pushed the pillow off his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her.

"That's it?" He asked, half teasing and half serious.

Even though it was broad daylight, he wanted more. Better yet, he wanted to continue where they left off last night. After all, if all the villagers were at the coast cheering for whatever reason, nobody would disturb them again. Not even the crew, who wouldn't be stupid enough to disturb their captain so early in the morning, unless heads were rolling.

Otherwise _he_ would be the cause of rolling heads.

She stared blankly at him, and proceeded to enter the bathroom. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he heard the lock click behind her.

If she hadn't locked it, he could have joined her in the shower…

Law sighed and stretched, standing up. He could take a shower later. Languidly, he walked out the door, not bothering to lock it. There was nobody at the inn except the crew, and he doubted that any of them would be foolish enough to walk into their room without knocking.

Just as he expected. No islanders were around. Law glanced around the inn and out the door, and the area around the inn and tavern seemed almost like a ghost town, as if the island's inhabitants had suddenly vanished. Of course, the cheering at the coast told him otherwise. He could only conclude that either another pirate crew had arrived, or the 'festival' they had spoken of was beginning.

Or perhaps both.

His eyes caught those of the crew already up and awake—namely Bepo and Skua and the nocturnal Albatross—and motioned for them to head out with him. He was lucky he got three of the quietest and calmest crew members. As they left the inn, Teddy—no, Laska and Reindeer raised their heads, glaring suspiciously at the captain.

Law ignored them. Neither of Lor's pets liked him much, mainly because he took her attention away from them. And they were no doubt suspicious of the man who had practically 'attacked' their mistress, and more than once. He didn't think they ever forgave him for the tension between himself and Lor the first few days they joined his ship.

Bepo lit up at the sight of the grizzly bear lying in a patch of sunlight. Bepo attempted a wave at the grizzly, only to get rejected by the muzzle turning in another direction. The polar bear's smile faltered. Then finally noticing that the bear wouldn't turn in his direction or give him the time of day, he sighed and ambled forward, shoulders hunched.

"She'll warm up to you," Skua said quietly.

Albatross nodded in agreement. Law glanced sideways at the lookout and wondered for the hundredth time why the man rarely spoke. The only times he ever raised his voice was when there was something the crew needed to be warned about, like a ship approaching or a storm. Otherwise, Law would have thought he was mute, and thought twice about making him the lookout.

The four moved quickly through the deserted village. He could see the preparations for the festival underway, and was a little surprised at how much they got done overnight. The festival could begin immediately and nobody would bat an eye. That was how prepared they were. Law glanced around slowly, a little bemused. It was still quite disturbing for an island to revere pirates.

Still, Law shook off the strange feeling and continued leading the three crew members towards the source of the cheering, the noise growing louder with each step they took closer. But even before they arrived at the coast, Law caught sight of a familiar jolly roger and tensed, freezing for a moment before he continued walking.

Them again.

After his Lorelei reacted so badly last time, he really hoped they wouldn't come across the Red Haired Pirates again, at least until they arrived at the New World. It was quite irritating, really. The Yonko should just _stay_ in the New World and hunt for One Piece. It would make it more difficult for the other pirates, but at least they wouldn't have to come across them before they entered the area everyone knew would be the most difficult section of the journey before the battle for the title of Pirate King.

"Hey, Trafalgar lad," Shanks said, eyes lighting up as he leaned over the side of the ship, lips forming an easy grin. "I _knew_ that ugly yellow thing was yours!"

Law glared at the man, an affronted look on his face. What was wrong with his sub? First Lorelei insults it, several times, in fact, and now Shanks? Yellow was a perfectly nice color. A very nice, bright, cheerful color. And much manlier than the ugly pink fluffy thing a certain bastard wore all the time.

"Come on, bastards! Get off the ship! We've got rum to drink!" Shanks yelled over his shoulder.

That only increased the cheers from the pirates. Shanks laughed along with them, and raised his only hand, giving a motion for everyone to settle down. Law couldn't help the prick of jealousy when everyone, both pirates and villagers, immediately fell to a respectable level of noise, moving onto conversations and orders instead of enthusiastic shouts. So that was what it was like to be a Yonko.

Or was it just the man's natural charisma and commanding aura? Because Law could name a few people he knew had the same effect on people without having a title, even if the effect wasn't usually as widespread.

"Law! It's been so long!" A familiar feminine voice gushed.

And Law barely had time to prepare himself as a ball of brunette wrapped itself around him. He stumbled back a step, arms reaching out instinctively to steady the girl.

"Hello, April," Law greeted.

"April, don't attack someone like that," a gentle male voice said, the tone almost filled with laughter at the girl's antics. And even as he peeled April off of Law, he glanced up at the captain, meeting his eyes. "And you must be the Trafalgar Law I heard so much about. It is nice to finally meet you."

Law immediately glared up at the dark haired boy, and his body stiffened. He couldn't say the same. Law disliked the boy at first sight, even though he knew very well the boy had never caused him any grief, nor had he ever personally given Law a reason to dislike him. It was just that the boy was Lor's former boyfriend. And even if she hadn't slept with him before, the boy was still the first romantic relationship _his_ Lorelei ever had.

Landen Leo.


	41. Chapter 41

"What are you doing here?" Law asked, the question coming out harsher than he intended.

Or rather, it came out exactly how he felt. Still, he knew he shouldn't behave so rudely to someone who had done him no harm. No, the boy only harmed _Lorelei_. And Law never wanted to see her like that again, never wanted to hear such a heartbreaking scream come from her mouth ever again. If she came face to face with them, it was the unavoidable result.

The boy looked taken aback for a moment. "We… We have connections with this island."

Well, that might explain the cheering, and the willingness to cater to pirates. The Yonko's crew was the least pirate-like crew Law had ever met. Wait, that wasn't exactly true. They were the second least pirate-like crew. Straw Hat Luffy took the cake on that one.

"Leave. Lei-ya doesn't need you to hurt her again," Law snapped.

Leo winced, even as April glanced uncertainly between the man she once loved and the man she now loved, backing away from the increasingly thick tension. All of a sudden, Leo felt like he could no longer meet Law's eyes. He had hurt Lorelei, and all of Mihawk's former crew knew it.

Except what they thought they did to hurt her and what Law knew they did to hurt her were two very different situations.

"Now, lads. Play nice," Shanks teased, ambling up to the two. The tension didn't fade. Rather, it increased. Shanks' smile faded, and his features almost twisted into a scowl. "Enough. You will get along, for Lorelei's sake if nothing else. How do you think the lass will feel if she sees you two like this, hmm?"

"How do you think she will feel if she sees _him_ again?" Law shot back.

He knew it was stupid to antagonize a _Yonko_ of all people. Even if that Yonko was one of the most easygoing pirates he had ever met. In spite of the carefree smiles and laid back attitude, Law knew too well that Red Haired Shanks was dangerous. After all, one does _not_ become a Yonko by being _weak_ or _stupid_.

And when Shanks smiled, the expression not at all reaching his icy cold eyes, Law could just about kick himself. " _They_ will deal with it. Not you."

"Lei-ya is _mine_ ," Law retorted, an angry half smirk on his lips.

Oh kami, his mouth should just shut up now. Maybe the next time he used the ope ope no mi, he should sew his lips shut. Or better yet, put them in his pockets so he could put his hand over them without looking like an idiot.

"She belongs to nobody but herself, Trafalgar," Shanks said, eyes glinting.

The 'lad' was gone. It could mean nothing but trouble for a certain Trafalgar Law if he continued to provoke the one armed captain. Law opened his mouth, then shut it, lips pressed tight together. There was nothing he could say. He doubted that Shanks would actually _kill_ him, considering that Shanks liked Lorelei and Lorelei liked Law, but that wouldn't stop the Yonko from maiming him.

"Just… stay away from her," Law told Leo, staring him down for a brief moment before he turned on his heel and stalked away without another word.

His crew stared at him as if he had grown two heads and a tail, glanced uncertainly at the Yonko and his crew. Shanks inclined his head, the smile once again plastered on his face, and the trio sighed with relief. They bowed, rather deeply to make up for their captain's disrespect, and scurried off.

Law met Lorelei in the dining hall of the inn, fully dressed and expressionless as usual. But that changed when he walked in, a picture of fury and worry. By now he had learned to tell the changes in her stoic features, telling him how she felt clear as a sea king attack. The slight crease of her brow and widening of her eyes as she rose to her feet were all the signs she gave of worry.

He didn't say a word. He only grabbed her wrist and tugged her along, his grip gentle in spite of his mood. If he could lock her in their room until Shanks' crew left, he would be satisfied. But somehow he doubted that Lor would stand for that, whether or not she knew the reason.

So he simply settled for pushing her onto the bed, startling the girl, before practically lying on top of her. Law was careful to keep most of his weight on the bed instead of the girl, though, otherwise he would crush her. He sighed, an arm slung casually around her waist as he nuzzled her neck, eyes closed with satisfaction.

Law never thought he would actually _like_ to _cuddle_ of all things. He used to scoff at it, considering it something for girls and cute, fluffy animals. With other women it had either been a pattern of sex and leave, or with April, the pattern of sex and stay on opposite sides of the bed. If April ever curled up against him, he would shove the woman back to her own side—gently, of course, to keep from waking her and having to listen to her whine about snuggling—or leave the bed and go get some work or reading done.

If anybody had told him _he_ would be the one initiating the cuddling, he would have laughed and cut them up before switching their personalities with a centipede.

"Law?" Lor squirmed under him, not quite uncomfortable, but not quite comfortable either.

She didn't mind cuddling, as long as they weren't both wearing clothes that would be uncomfortable to hug in. For one thing, his belt buckle was digging into her almost painfully. She was sure that if he didn't _move_ , she would have the pattern imprinted on her skin for days.

Law groaned and held her tighter. Her lips pursed with irritation, and she lay absolutely still for a moment before she braced herself and _shoved_ with all her strength. The surprised captain tumbled to the floor with a dull thud.

He stared up at her, confused and a little hurt. She wasn't usually so violent with him.

"At least take your clothes off before you put me into a death grip," Lor told him.

The hurt disappeared. He grinned, raising an eyebrow. "My, I never thought I'd hear you say those words."

"If you get naked, I will hurt you," Lor deadpanned, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Alright, alright. No sex," Law smirked, inwardly laughing a little.

How cute.

Especially when her cheeks turned pink and she started to shift uncomfortably.

"Not yet," Lor said softly, and Law almost didn't catch the words.

His eyes lit up. She said 'yet'. Which meant she did intend to sleep with him someday, with no actual sleeping involved. He supposed she was still squirmish, or just nervous, about sex with a lover. It was something she had never experienced, despite having slept with her brother multiple times.

Alright. That still sounded weird, no matter how many times he ran over the words in his head.

Law quickly stripped down to his underwear and watched her undress, torn between feeling like a pervert and jumping her. So he did neither. He simply dragged her back into his embrace, settling for holding her. If she needed time, then so be it.

If it was her, he could wait.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: Is it just me, or is Lor showing more emotions? She's supposed to show more and more as she heals emotionally and opens up to Law and the Heart Pirates.

Thanks to 707cloud, GajeelIronSteel, and Marika Tachibana for the follows/faves!

* * *

"Law, _why_ can't I leave the room?" Lor asked for what felt like the millionth time.

She was getting annoyed. No, scratch that. She was already annoyed, and moving on to pissed. And the fact that _Law_ could move in and out of the room, always locking the door and pocketing the key in the process, did _not_ help her mood.

Sure, he brought food and alcohol each meal—and kami knew she needed the alcohol with the mood she was in—and allowed crew members in for a visit. But that was different from going outside and getting the food herself, and talking to whomever she wanted to.

And on top of that, she could hear the sounds of a festival outside, and she _wanted to attend, damn it_. The last time she had been to a festival was _years_ ago. In fact, if she didn't count being with Shanks' crew as everybody drank themselves to a stupor, then she had _never_ been to a festival.

Lorelei scowled at Law, arms crossed, foot tapping as she awaited an answer. He raised an eyebrow over his medical book, only his eyes upwards visible from behind the pages. He didn't answer.

" _Law_ ," Lor growled.

"No," Law replied, and returned to his book.

She growled wordlessly and flopped down on the bed, still glaring at him. At this rate, she had four choices. First, she could break the window and jump out. Second, she could kick down the door, or get Bepo to kick down the door. Third, she could abuse her powers and sing to Law before forcing him to open the door. Fourth, she could seduce him and steal the key.

Lor was against option four, considering that he could _easily_ seduce her in return, and once he put his mind to it, she would probably forget her goals. She wasn't exactly fond of option three either, because it would break the trust between them. Option one and two would hurt.

She sighed and glanced longingly out the window, not noticing that Law was observing her. From the inn, she couldn't see any of the festivities, nor the harbor. It was all trees and grass and houses. If she could actually _see_ what was going on, it was still better than nothing, even if she could not participate.

Still, she couldn't comprehend _why_ Law wouldn't let her out. It wasn't like there were any marines on the island, and the island was so safe babies could crawl on the roads without anybody watching them. And even those babies were crawling _towards_ the festival.

The inn was completely silent except for her breathing and the occasional turning of the pages from Law, all the crew members having gone to join in the fun. She knew that very well, since she could hear them all in the early hours of the morning, drunk and exhausted from the night and day before.

"Law," Lor almost whined, plucking the book out of his hands and sliding a knee between his legs, arms wrapping around his neck. "Let me _out_."

He chuckled, pulling her down for a kiss before pushing her lightly back. "No."

" _Why_ , damn it!" Lorelei snapped, frustrated out of her mind.

She had already counted the ceiling tiles and the floorboards, and the numbers didn't change in the, oh say, fifty times she counted each. She was _this_ close to pulling out her hair strand by strand and counting how many hairs she had on her head. And then she would proceed to Law's head. For a moment she wondered what kind of reaction he would have if she yanked out a handful.

Unconsciously, her eyes glinted and her lips turned up in a devious smirk as she stared at him, or more specifically, his messy head of hair. His face would twist _so_ deliciously in pain, and even if he tried to keep it in, he would _yelp_. He had too much dignity to scream. Maybe his eyes would sting with tears of pain too. _How wonderful_.

Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips, the smirk growing.

Law eyed her warily, legs tensed to run any moment. If a _normal_ woman gave him a look like that, he would correctly judge that they were mentally undressing him, and trying to decide if he would spend the night with them. If _Lorelei_ looked at him like that, and especially when she was this aggravated with him…

She was probably thinking of doing something _very_ sadistic.

He never thought she had a sadistic streak. She never showed it, never even hinted at it. But she was a former marine, and a pirate with a bounty higher than his own. She could not have made it that far without _some_ enjoyment of another's pain. And now that he thought about it, she _had_ forced the bastard—her former fiancé—to live in terror instead of mercifully slitting the man's throat. Everybody knew surviving was a lot worse than dying, despite the general fear of death.

"Lei-ya, we could do something fun," Law suggested, still tensed.

"Yes. We could," Lorelei replied, eyes darkening with sick amusement.

He did _not_ want to know what she was imagining right then. He knew he was sadistic and had a reputation for cruelty. But he was _not_ a masochist, and did _not_ like such attentions on him. There was a reason he dismissed any SM play and dominatrix's when they deemed him worthy of their attention. If they were forceful, he showed them just how much he _didn't_ like being the submissive. And it involved a 'room', but did _not_ involve a bed.

"Law, _please_ ," Lorelei finally resorted to begging, but she didn't quite throw her dignity out the window. The strange glint was still dancing in her eyes.

" _No_ , Lei-ya. There are… other pirates here," Law murmured.

"Come _on_. Just a walk around the inn, if you won't let me go anywhere else. I want to go outside," she pleaded, once again pressing herself against him, making sure to keep her hands away from his hair.

Law hesitated. He _had_ told her former crew to stay away from the inn, and he had no doubt that everyone was at the festival. They were in _Shanks'_ crew, for goodness sakes. If Shanks' crew did not drink and party, he would be shocked, and would check his eyesight before recommending they go to a psychiatrist.

"Fine," he said reluctantly.

And suddenly it was worth it. Her face lit up, any hint of murder vanishing like smoke. She laughed, squeezing him into a tight hug, before practically running to the door. He chuckled again at her antics. She resembled a puppy then, with her impatience and hopeful eyes, even if he would never usually have associated her with an animal so different from a cat.

He unlocked the door, and she was out of there like a burst of wind. Law followed more slowly, catching up in time to see her throw her arms into the air in victory. She turned on her heel, hands linked behind her back as she bent forwards towards him, a wide smile on her face.

Law's breath caught. It had been so long since he had seen her in sunlight, so long since he had seen her this vibrant. He felt his heart constrict almost painfully, felt himself fall in love all over again.

" _Breathe_ , Law," she teased.

Right. Breathe. How did that go again? Law forced himself to inhale and exhale slowly, reminding his muscles how the simple motion worked. When he decided that his lungs and diaphragm knew how to move without conscious direction, he turned his attention back to her.

He watched her for the next _three hours_. He didn't know walking around an inn and simply staring at the sky could bring someone that much peace and satisfaction. Yet she was perfectly content with that, and he with watching her. He didn't even realize when the sun started to set, until the orange glow had almost disappeared, and the chill of night fell. Only the lights at the inn and the lantern glow from the festival lit up the island.

"Come on. I can't believe you, of all people, got drunk," a male voice laughed.

"As if you can say anything," another male retorted, groaning.

"I'm not as drunk as _you_."

Lorelei's brows furrowed, trying to place the familiar voices. And then the two came into sight.

Lorelei's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat. It was déjà vu all over again, except this time, the roles were reversed. Law's face darkened, eyes narrowing. Sho and Leo caught sight of her. They immediately sobered, and their faces contorted with shock.

And this time, Lor ran.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Thank you to Ana Blackstone, CamoCountryGirl, and The-Kiwi-Lover for following/favoriting.

I hope this chapter is satisfactory. I was unsatisfied with what I wrote, so I had to rewrite this chapter twice before posting. 

I believe I will end the story around chapter 64, because I don't want to go into the complications that occur after the time skip. I have mentioned it before, but I haven't watched that much of the anime. I am also trying to write as much as possible, because I want to finish all my stories before August, considering that I will have to find a job around that time, and I have no idea what the normal workload is.

* * *

Law cursed as he reached out to grab her and _missed_. His fingertips brushed the fabric of her sleeve and slipped away as the girl escaped. If he had caught her he could have shielded her from _them_. Had he not known she wasn't thinking correctly, he would have felt hurt that she didn't trust him enough to let him protect her.

She ran blindly, desperation and panic clouding her vision, which was already hazy enough from the dark cover of night. Her feet pounded against the ground in a rapid, steady rhythm. She didn't think about where she was running to. She just needed to _get away_. Out of the back of her mind, she heard an animalistic roar and a snarl. Her pets, she realized, and chances were high that they would attack those pursuing her, but her conscious mind didn't comprehend it.

"Lor… Wait, Lorelei!" Leo shouted, feet pushing off to chase after the girl.

Law spat another curse at having reacted too slowly once again, and a hand quickly reaching out and grasping the back of Sho's shirt before he, too, could start chasing the girl. He eyed Leo's retreating back, the teenager's long strides quickly eating up the distance between him and Lorelei, and contemplated using 'room' to switch their places.

"Don't think about it," Sho said, voice hard.

Law blinked and glanced at the brown haired boy in his grip. He was glaring at Law, as if Law was the one who had caused such a violent reaction in Lor. Law smirked even as his eyes darkening into a hateful glare. Under his knuckles, he could feel Sho's back tense.

Law reached out. "Roo—"

Suddenly Sho flipped upside down, and then all Law could see was the sky. The air in his lungs forced its way out as he landed hard on his back, stunned. What in the world…?

 _Lei-ya_!

Law shook off the shock and began to rise to his feet, when he froze, eyes wide as he watched the two boys corner his cook. It had only been seconds since he released Sho's shirt, but he was already in front of the green haired pirate, and even from this distance Law could see her eyes, wide and terrified, as she turned this way and that, only to be blocked each time.

The two inched closer with each time the girl turned, their arms stretched out to either side to keep her from breaking through. Law gritted his teeth and shoved himself onto his feet in a swift motion, reaching out a hand.

" _Room_ ," Law snarled. " _Shambles_."

Sho and Leo frowned in confusion as a spotted hat appeared where the girl had been a mere moment before. It took them seconds to realize Law had been the culprit, and spun to face him.

He paid them no attention.

The girl only jerked once as her body trembled, before she realized that she was in Law's arms, and not otherwise trapped. He could feel her start to relax, the tension fading from her muscles one by one. Law stroked through her hair, petting her lightly as he pushed her head safely against his chest. He whispered comforting things in her ear. Yet despite the sweet gestures, his eyes were dark and his gaze poisonous, the man glaring at the two members of Shanks' crew approaching slowly and quietly.

They were smart enough to stop a few feet away, out of Law's reach. Leo hesitated, opening his mouth to speak, but changed his mind. He met Law's eyes, rather bravely, and gestured towards the inn. They needed to talk with their former crewmate, and if Law wouldn't let them, they would take that privilege by force.

Law stiffened at the message in Leo's eyes. He shook his head.

"Renren," Leo called out softly.

Law's glare darkened even further when he felt the girl freeze, and for a second she didn't breathe.

"Can we talk?" Leo continued. He kept his voice low, soothing, as if speaking to a wild animal that would either react to him by fighting or fleeing.

Law's grip tightened, but the girl hesitated before nodding, and Law reluctantly let go. He still kept a hand around her waist, claiming her, as he guided her back into the inn. On the way in, he shot a look at the white tiger and grizzly bear, and they settled down, still wary and ready to charge all three males at any moment.

The four sat down at a round table, and the former members of Mihawk's crew were glad everybody else was at the festival. There was a semblance of privacy in the empty inn, even though anybody could walk in at any time.

She stared at the table, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. The clock ticked, seconds turning into minutes as they sat in silence, nobody really knowing where to begin.

"So…" Leo started awkwardly. "How have you been?"

Law glared at him. Really?

"Fine," Lor replied. "You?"

"Good. Shanks is a great captain. Not as boring as Mihawk," Sho told her, trying to smile comfortingly. "But you'd know that too."

She nodded, eyes still trained on the wooden grains of the table as if they were the most fascinating thing in the world.

Sho sighed. "Renren…"

"Do you hate us? For not helping you back then?" Leo asked, cutting directly to the chase.

Her head shot up, looking properly at them for the first time. "That's my line!"

Leo and Sho shared a glance of genuine confusion before they turned to stare at her. A long moment of tense silence fell once again as the three tried to comprehend the situation.

"Wait, so you never hated us?" Sho asked, frowning.

"Of course not," Lor said, expression baffled. " _You're_ supposed to hate me for… killing Rolo."

"Why?"

"What do you mean _why_? I killed him!"

"Helios killed him," Leo corrected. "He just used you."

"But—"

"If Mihawk uses a sword to kill someone, who was the killer—him or the sword?" Leo asked patiently.

"Him," Lor replied flatly. "But I'm _human_. Not some weapon."

"In that case you were Helios' weapon," Leo told her. "Nobody blames you for it. Not Mihawk, not us. We couldn't face you because you were put through all that and we couldn't do anything."

Lorelei's eyes widened in surprise as her mind went blank. She stared at him, and her heartbeat sped up as confusion, relief, and nervousness coursed through her veins. She searched his face for any trace of a lie, but found none. He hated lies anyways, considering that he could always tell when somebody was lying.

"Oh," she laughed lightly, breathlessly. " _Oh_."

Sho groaned, letting his head fall with a loud 'thunk' on the wooden table. "We're all idiots."

"Yeah," Lor agreed.

"So… we're good?" Sho asked hopefully, eyes peering up at her.

"Sho, you're bleeding," Lor deadpanned.

He blinked, expression blank, before he leapt out of the chair, eyes wide. "Shit! I'm bleeding!"

As Lor laughed, Law shifted uncomfortably. He didn't belong there. All of a sudden all he could see was a family, a group of people who were really close. He was an outsider. And it wasn't the best feeling in the world. Far from it.

"Come on," Leo said as he rose from his chair, extending a hand to the girl. "Let's go. You want to see Cornelia and Karin again, right?"

"Yeah. Sure," she smiled, taking his hand.

And Law suddenly remembered that she had dated the dark haired boy before. He _wasn't_ family. He was more of a boyfriend. Law felt something stir in the pit of his stomach. This time it was different from the anger and annoyance he had experienced when Ace flirted with her, and when other men went near her. This time it seemed like something akin to dread and sharp fear that she would _leave_ him.

Would she? She had said she loved him. That meant she _wouldn't_ leave him again, right? Leo was just her _former_ boyfriend, _former_ crewmate. He couldn't compare to Law and the rest of the Heart Pirates, could he? Law felt his brow crease, his breath catch as he watched her walk out the door with a smile on her face, her hand still in Leo's grasp. If she left, he wouldn't… he couldn't…

And in spite of Lor's smile, the smile he was so fond of, Law realized that he would have preferred it if they hadn't reconciled.


	44. Chapter 44

_Clatter_.

Karin frowned, rising from her chair even as her mother groaned in bed. They were not quite drunk, even though their crew had insisted on adding more rum and whatever that weird drink was to their mugs. That was actually the reason they left the party early once again. The crew needed _sensible_ people around, especially in the morning when they all had killer hangovers.

Not that either woman was willing to clean up vomit or spilled alcohol. Not to mention the food stains from very messy eaters. They were just there to be snarky and scold the men. The bunch of idiots never listened, but they would at least feel sheepish enough to take over cleaning duty for a week or two after leaving the island. Nothing got through their thick skulls while they were on an island that still had a supply of food and liquor.

The red haired girl moved to the door, wondering what in the world had made that noise. It couldn't be the crew. They would make a lot of noise when they came in because of the overload of alcohol in their bloodstreams. And they didn't ever return one at a time. No, they always came back in groups like girls going to the bathroom, and usually they were _singing_ , creating an infernal noise with their hoarse shouting and off tune melodies.

Besides, it was still too early for them to return—there was still a lot of alcohol to drink, and too little time to drink it—considering that they usually returned when the sun crept over the horizon.

Karin opened the bedroom door with a soft click and creak of the hinges. She stared up at a familiar man with red hair. Her eyes widened.

Footsteps thudded.

"Oi, Cornelia," Shanks drawled, half drunk, a tankard of rum in his hand.

He blinked as he saw the woman's room empty, and frowned. He took two hesitant steps in, knowing that the two females on crew would beat him silly if they found him in their room, even if he was the captain. He knew very well they would. They threatened to castrate him last time, and that was a light punishment compared to one of the crew members he had recruited on an island, and lost at the peaceful, marine-free island they landed at a few days later. All because the man walked into the females' room.

"Cornelia? Karin?" Shanks called out.

He peered into the closet, under the bed, and the bathroom—but not without knocking first—and under the desk, before looking in the drawers. Hmm… He was sure the women had returned earlier. Or was he mishearing when they said they were going back to the ship? Maybe they had said something like they were gluing yaks to the whip.

But that didn't make sense. They didn't keep whips on board—pirates preferred to force people to walk the plank, or even worse, to go on _cleaning duty_ —and he had no idea where they would find yaks.

He could only conclude that, no, he wasn't so drunk that he would assume they were saying something else, and yes, they had in fact returned to the ship.

So where in the Grand Line _were_ they?

Footsteps padded softly through the narrow hallways of the ship, and Shanks' ears perked up. Was that them? It didn't really sound like them—Cornelia and Karin didn't weigh that much, unless they had eaten too much—but if they were carrying heavy things…

"Cornelia? Karin?"

Definitely not them, unless the women went through a gender change. Shanks sighed forlornly and sat on the edge of the bed. Where had his crewmates gone? It was fun drinking with the guys, but they had gotten used to having girls around, and drinking without females was _boring_.

Not to mention that there wasn't anything fun in playing strip poker with a bunch of _guys_.

"Captain?" Leo said, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Why are you in their room?"

Sho snickered. "Captain's gonna get his ass kicked."

"I am _not_ ," Shanks shot back maturely. "I was looking for them, and I knocked before entering… You're not going to tell them, are you?"

"Maaaybe," Sho drawled out the word, a smirk on his face.

Shanks groaned. The boy was definitely going to tell on him.

"So where are they?" Leo asked.

"Dunno," Shanks muttered.

"Looks like they're not here. Renren, do you want to wait here, or search with us?" Leo asked, turning to face the girl.

Shanks perked up, squinting into the darkness. He couldn't see—Oh wait. He caught a flash of green and white, and his face lit up like fireworks. So there _was_ a girl around!

"Lor! Lorelei, lass! Come drink with me!" Shanks shouted, staggering towards the door.

"No," came the blunt reply.

" _Why_?" Shanks whined.

"Because the last time you got me drunk I ended up naked in the bushes, two islands away, hugging a porcupine," Lor deadpanned.

The three stared at her for a moment before they burst out laughing at a very unamused Lorelei.

" _Pfft_ … Was that why cap—I mean Mihawk was plucking needles out of you?" Sho managed to say between bouts of laughter.

Lor pouted, crossing her arms over her chest as she glanced to the side. "It wasn't funny."

"Yeah it was."

"Mihawk didn't think so either," Lor added.

That shut the two boys up, even though Shanks continued laughing. He stopped when she kicked him in the shin. The red haired captain winced, hopping on one leg as he waited for the throbbing to stop. The girl had a _mean_ kick.

"We were looking for Cornelia and Karin…?" Lor said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh!" Shanks half shouted, eyes lighting up in realization.

Lor nearly slammed her head against the wall. He was drunk as a hippo, and he probably didn't even realize it. The man grinned and took two wobbly steps, before a strange look came over his face. Lor groaned as he fell on top of her, the girl staggering back a few steps under the sudden weight. He was damned _heavy_ for a man missing one of his limbs. One would expect him to be three or four kilograms lighter.

" _Help_ ," the girl called out in a strangled voice.

She glared at the two boys as they innocently pulled their captain off her, dragging him to the bed—he could get slaughtered by the two women later; it would serve him right—and fought their giggles.

"You're a bunch of girls," Lor huffed.

"Nah, just drunk," Sho corrected.

"So any ideas where they could be?" Lor asked.

"We could search the ship. I'm pretty sure they're not on the island anymore," Leo said, frowning as he wracked his brain.

But a thorough search of Red Force told them that the two women were, in fact, not on the ship.

"Where could they have go—"

An ear piercing scream interrupted Leo mid sentence and their eyes widened. They all knew very well who that voice belonged to. As one, they turned and sprinted to the deck, peering into the darkness of the ocean and the lights of the festival. It was impossible to see anything. The oceans were still, but the throngs of people on the island made it too difficult to pinpoint specific people.

"Karin!" Sho shouted.

There was no reply. The boy frowned.

"Ne," Lor said, tugging on her former crewmates' sleeves.

"Hmm?" Leo replied absently, eyes still scanning the crowds.

"Was that here before?" Lorelei asked.

The two boys furrowed their brows as they looked at her, and seeing that her eyes were not searching the island, they directed their gazes towards what she was looking at. Their hearts dropped.

"No, it wasn't," Leo answered.

But the reply was unnecessary. They all already knew the square envelope, pure white against the dark wood and black night, did not belong in the middle of the deck.


	45. Chapter 45

' _Dearest Lorelei,_

 _How are you doing? It was a shame that you turned Helios into that pathetic, drooling, weak idiot. He was useful while he lasted. On that note, congratulations on rescuing Portgas D Ace and your… lover. That was quite a show we got to see._

 _But we digress._

 _As you may already know, we have Cornelia and Stanfield Karin, both formerly shichibukai Dracule Mihawk's crew, and currently Yonko Shanks' crew. Both are currently safe, and mostly unharmed. Actually, the most they have are minor scrapes and bruises. We will provide them with antiseptic and bandages. We apologize for that. We had intended to keep them unscathed, but both fight like wildcats, thus it was impossible to place them in our possession without using force._

 _But we digress once again._

 _We do hope to see you again, dearest Lorelei. You are a wonderful girl, and so very powerful. Enchanting, if we may say. We look forward to meeting you in person this time._

 _Our best regards,_

 _…_

 _Well, we will not place our names. But please understand._

 _P.S. To Trafalgar Law and Red Haired Shanks: We have Cornelia and Stanfield Karin. The two are safe… for now. Our demand is for you to hand Rhine Lorelei over to the marine base on Shawl Island one week from now. Do_ not _stay there with her. Leave immediately after you drop her off. Unlike with our dearest Lorelei, we do_ not _wish to see you, idiots._ '

If the situation had not been so dire, they would have laughed at whatever idiot had written the ransom note. It was unprofessional, not to mention that the 'evil ransom note' part of the letter was just the post script.

But nobody was laughing.

The revelry continued on the island, making the same ruckus as before, but to the trio reading the note, it was like everything had fallen silent. Suddenly the partying seemed out of place, the burst of cheer irritating enough to almost anger the three. It would have, but they were so immersed in their gloom that they had no room for any other emotion within them.

There was no signature on the bottom of the note, but there was no doubt that the kidnappers were marines, or at least associated with the marines.

Well, that narrowed down the possibilities.

Normal people wouldn't be capable of kidnapping _those_ two, let alone brave enough to incur the wrath of a Yonko. Pirates would not have the guts to demand a ransom be delivered to a marine base, of all places, so the kidnappers _had_ to be marines. But that didn't really make sense either. If they were marines, they would demand for all the high bounties on the island to turn themselves in. Lor and the rest of Shanks' crew would go willingly, of course, including the captain. They would plan to break out later, but they would still go willingly. Trafalgar Law, on the other hand… Well, if Leo understood the man, he would probably go after Lorelei. Because Lor was the type of girl who would do something like that for the people she cared about, she wasn't the type of girl who would choose a man who wouldn't do something like that for those _he_ cared about.

"They couldn't have gotten far," Lor suddenly said, tearing the letter out of their grasps, and out of their line of vision.

They stared dully at her, as if they didn't understand her, as if she was speaking a different language. She scowled at them, frustrated. Shoving the letter in her pocket, she reached out to knock their heads together. That woke them up. They blinked and frowned, their minds still needing a few seconds to comprehend her words.

"They couldn't have gotten far!" Sho suddenly shouted, eyes widening.

Lor fought the urge to twitch in annoyance.

"We have to find them," Sho said urgently, shaking Leo for a moment to get him back to reality as well.

"U-ugh. Stop," Leo groaned. "I'll go get the captain. You start searching first."

"Get something that belongs to them. I'll get Teddy—Laska and Reindeer to track their scents," Lorelei added as Leo ran off.

The male paused mid step, cocking his head at her in confusion.

"Just do it. Bring it to the Lucky Pirate. I'm getting Law too," Lor shouted over her shoulder as she catapulted herself over the side of the ship, landing softly on the dock's wooden planks.

The two left Sho standing in the middle of the deck. "O-oi, wait. So what do _I_ do?"

Nobody answered him. He stood alone, feeling very lonely all of a sudden, before he slapped himself. With a glowing red cheek, he too vaulted over the side of the ship—landing with much less dignity and grace—before running towards the festival. There had to be some pirates sober enough to help them search.

If not he could always throw a bucket of freezing seawater over the lot of them.

"Law!" Lorelei shouted breathlessly as she slid to a stop inches from slamming into the inn door. "Law!"

Law blinked, rereading the same line he had been reading since the girl had gone. He must be hearing things. There was no way Lorelei was back so soon. His eyes scanned the words again, and once again, found himself incapable of comprehending them.

" _Law_!"

There it was again.

"Damn it, you insufferable smartass! Open the door!"

Now _that_ couldn't be his imagination. His Lorelei said sweet things and blushed and smiled and did very naughty yet wonderful things in his imagination. Law put down the book and quickly moved to the door, fumbling with the key for a second before opening the door.

Lor stumbled in, face flushed, a soft sheen of sweat on her skin. "They've been kidnapped."

Law stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. Lorelei rolled her eyes, exasperated. What was with men and their reaction to unexpected bad news? No matter how smart they were and how cunning and witty they could be, give them a woman giving birth or surprising news and their brains turned to mush.

"What?"

That question just proved her point.

"Cornelia and Karin got kidnapped. We've got to find them," Lor told him, gripping his hand and impatiently tugging him out the door.

All he could think of was how _nice_ her hand felt in his.

She sensed that his mind wasn't on the matter, and sighed. "Law, if we don't find them… Well, let's just say _I'm_ the ransom they asked for."

That knocked the surgeon back to his senses. He scowled, glaring at the back of her head. He gritted his teeth and hissed, " _What_?!"

She didn't reply. He picked up his pace, walking beside her now, their long legs eating up the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her face tight with worry, and he was suddenly glad he brought his nodachi. He really wanted to slice up whoever put that expression on her. Perhaps tear their hearts out and cut off slivers at a time until they died.

"Renren!" Leo shouted, bending over as he gasped for oxygen, unable to say anything more.

But he didn't need to. His outstretched hand held dirty laundry belonging to the mother and daughter, and she gave him a small smile. He returned the gesture before turning around and running away again, starting his own search.

"Reindeer! Laska!" Lor shouted.

Her voice rang clearly through the air, and the two animals came running. As she gave them the scents, asking them to track her friends, Law frowned, glancing over at where the festival should have been taking place. Yet the island was strangely silent, the lights looking forlorn now that the music and cheer had vanished. It suited the mood perfectly.

"Let's go," Lorelei said, eyebrows furrowed, the girl chewing on her lower lip.

Before she could walk past him, Law placed a hand on her head and leaned down to press his forehead against hers reassuringly. "We'll find them."


	46. Chapter 46

Just by watching her, Law could tell that she wasn't quite reassured by his comfort. Lorelei had relaxed slightly, just enough to give him a miniscule smile of thanks, but her face remained contorted with worry, her frown enough to produce wrinkles if she was an older woman.

It was a bad sign.

Even though she was showing more and more emotion as she spend more days on his crew—Law was proud to say he provoked more reactions out of her than anyone else—her face usually remained passive, blank. It was rare that her facial response reached the level of what other people would consider normal, considering that one usually has to look closely to find the hint of a frown or the tiny upturn of her lips that could be considered her version of expressing anger and joy.

The constant frown and tightness of her expression could only mean that she was inwardly fretting. In normal people, it would have meant unstopping tears and anxious tantrums and hyperventilation that may or may not result in a trip to the hospital.

Law watched her like a hawk just in case she _did_ break down. The likelihood of the event in people who were normally expressive was high enough that he worried that it may happen to her as well. Aside from the fact that he did not know what Cornelia and Karin looked like, the main reason he was reluctant to leave her side because of the probability that she could have a breakdown. At the thought, he inched closer, hoping his presence could have a comforting effect.

Lorelei reached out and grasped his hand, unconsciously hoping the same thing. Law winced. Her grip was overly tight on his fingers—he was sure he wouldn't be able to perform surgery for the next few days—and her hand was unusually cold and clammy. It felt like he was holding a tentacle, not that he would ever tell her the comparison. Within seconds he could no longer feel the tips of his fingers, so he gently plucked his hand out, shook it a few times, and before she could notice and send him a hurt look, he once again took her hand so he could hold it _properly_.

What do you know. It still felt like a tentacle, except without the suckers.

Suddenly, Laska's ears perked up as he sniffed at the ground, and then at the air. He growled once, and Reindeer ambled over, the grizzly's gait a rolling trot. Lor watched anxiously even as Law looked on in amusement. It almost seemed like the two animals were holding a proper conversation.

Actually, he shouldn't have said that. They _were_ having a conversation. He should have known by now that animals did communicate, even the ones that didn't speak human, from the seemingly one sided conversations Bepo had with other animals. Finishing the conversation with the bear, Laska glanced back to Lor and growled twice, looking his mistress straight in the eyes.

"Growr?" Lor asked.

Law raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat, his lips twitching upwards. The tiger seemed to mirror Law's actions, staring strangely at the girl. Law knew for a fact that the girl didn't speak tiger, and he almost wished Bepo was there to translate exactly what she had 'growled' to the white tiger. Law couldn't prevent the smile that appeared on his face, but he refrained from outright laughing at her, of course, but it didn't stop her from blushing in embarrassment when she caught his eyes.

She just _knew_ his inner self was rolling on the floor laughing.

"I mean you found them?" Lor corrected.

The tiger didn't respond verbally this time. He just nodded and began trotting off, expecting the two humans and bear to follow. They did, of course. The tiger set a quick pace, and the humans had to break into a jog to keep up.

Law never knew the island had so many twists and turns. But he supposed it made sense. The island was quite big on the area map, and they had seen only a sliver of it. He started to feel his heart sink. It would be almost impossible to search every nook and cranny on the island for the Lei-ya's two kidnapped former crewmates, yet they _needed_ to find them. Otherwise, if the girl hadn't been lying, she would hand herself in as ransom, exchanging her own life for that of her two friends.

She had done it once before. Law had no doubt she could and would do it again.

Laska's ears perked up, his hackles rising as he jerked to a sudden halt. A low growl rumbled in his throat; he crouched, ready to leap. Law yanked Lorelei to a stop, preventing her from overshooting the tiger. The four stood silently, straining their ears to listen, the two humans trying to hear whatever their tiger had heard.

"…won't find us."

"We made a deal with Joker just in case," a second voice said. "Caesar provided us with enough materials to keep them off our tail. We won't get caught even if they do find us."

Law stiffened at the name. _Joker_. He knew too well who used that codename, and he didn't like this one bit. He was so preoccupied with the mention of the man he loathed that he barely noticed Lorelei's body freezing, her eyes growing wide at the familiar voice.

The three of them, white tiger, grizzly bear, and siren, all knew exactly who had kidnapped their former crewmate.

"Come on. Everything's quiet. We should leave now," the second speaker continued.

Law's eyes widened, and clapping a hand over his cook's mouth, he dragged her to crouch behind a wall, noting that the two animals had also disappeared. He could feel her pulse beating a hurried rhythm, could feel her body trembling with suppressed rage and nerves. He briefly noticed that his body was reacting the same way.

 _Joker_.

His muscles tightened around Lorelei as the two men left their hiding place, dragging two women bound and gagged women behind. They were hobbled, leaving them just enough rope between their feet to take small steps, but nowhere near enough room to kick. Their eyes blazed with fury towards their captors.

Law reached one hand over to grip his nodachi, ready to draw and attack. Lorelei's legs tensed, ready to pounce. The girl's eyes followed the two men for a moment, but she wasn't thinking anymore. All she could feel was pure hatred and rage towards one man in particular, the man walking tall and proud as he led his partner and the two captives towards the coast.

Lorelei leapt.

Law let out a strangled cry as she slipped out of his grasp, before he cursed and stumbled a few steps, before regaining control of his legs and running after her. Silver knives flashed, and the girl was on top of the pale haired man, his red haired partner staring at her in shock.

So Law quickly attacked the man before he could help gang up on his cook.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the two womens' eyes widen in surprise and their hands start to work at the ropes, hoping to loosen their bonds enough to help their friend.

" _You_ ," Lor snarled, straining for the man's throat as he kept her at bay, more easily than she would have liked.

"It's been a long time, has it not, Lorelei?" The man sneered.

" _Don't call my name_!" Lor shouted, gritting her teeth as she glared burning holes into the man's skull.

If only looks could kill…

"I'm glad you came to see me, my dear," the man continued, ignoring her cry of outrage. "This means I can take you as well, and save myself the trouble of waiting on the filthy pirates."

" _Fuck you_ ," Lor hissed.

The man only smirked, and keeping her knives occupied with a single hand, reached into his coat pocket with the other. Her eyes widened, her heart nearly stopped. He cocked his head, eyes flashing with arrogance at the fear in her eyes.

"Remember this, I see," he said.

And he dropped it.

Smoke—no, it was _mist_ —billowed from the smoke bomb, and the moment the tendrils touched her, Lorelei felt herself weaken, felt her muscles sag. She dropped to her knees, her muscles twitching in her attempt to force herself to stand.

"Lei-ya!" Law shouted as he swung powerfully, sending the red haired man flying into the wall, before he ran to his Lorelei.

" _Don't come_!" Lorelei cried, eyes wide.

Law froze for a moment, frowning. The girl scrambled back from the smoke on her hands and feet, her opponent merely standing there watching and enjoying her struggle, as she desperately moved towards her two friends. Her hands fumbled at the knife as she sawed through their bonds, her back to the enemies.

Large black eyes flashed in the light, shadows shifted as a powerful figure came bearing down at the girl's exposed back. Lorelei's eyes widened as the shadow fell over her, and she half turned—

Only for Law to drag her out of the way, the pale haired marine's blade falling harmlessly, shattering the cobblestones. Her mouth worked, but no noise escaped. Her hand stretched out helplessly towards her friends as the sea stone mist from the bomb filled the air and chased after the two devil fruit users, the two enemies' figures blurring through the mist and her unshed tears.

Law coughed and ran, stumbling as the sea stone began to take effect. Lorelei dangled in his hold as he ran awkwardly away, gasping as he finally escaped the smoke and reached pure air.

Nobody pursued them.


	47. Chapter 47

Law watched his fuming girlfriend, his mind only half on her. Even if he wanted to pay full attention to her, he just wasn't good with angry or crying girls. And even if she wasn't crying, her outer self was angry, and he had no doubt that her inner self was shedding tears while moping in the corner of a dark room.

After all, if a girl got clingy or upset, he usually just walked out. He never cared about any of the women he had flings with. If they got over it, they would just go scampering back to him, only for him to leave them behind a few days later as he sailed to the next island. If they didn't get over it, well, no big deal. He always made it clear from the beginning that there were no strings attached, no emotions involved.

April had been the one and only exception, and while he _had_ been attracted to her in the beginning, enough to bring her along, in the end everything boiled down to sex and stress relief. Besides, no matter what his attraction was, he wouldn't have brought her along if she hadn't needed to escape her island, where they were going to execute her under false accusations that she was a 'witch'. Law didn't know _why_ , considering that she had no fighting prowess whatsoever, and no devil fruit ability. But apparently going skinny dipping on a full moon night was enough for those fools.

Lor… Lorelei was different. He _was_ attached, even if he hadn't wanted to be, and he _refused_ to lose her. If it meant he had to listen to a tantrum that she didn't mean to throw, then so be it. It was rare enough for her to show this much emotion, so it could only mean she had to get everything out of her system _somehow_ , or else she would explode. He was just glad she didn't break down.

Yet, Law knew her words were only half absorbed, and half of what she said flew over his head. Joker. His former captain. _Donquixote Doflamingo_. It took all his willpower not to react to that bastard's name, lest Lorelei took it wrong and he inadvertently started a fight.

In a way, he was glad that man was involved in this case, directly or indirectly, even if it made everything a hundred times more complicated and difficult. It brought him a step closer to the shichibukai, a step closer to his revenge.

" _Why_ did you stop me, damn it?!" Lorelei half shouted.

A corner of her mind knew she was being unreasonable. If Law hadn't dragged her out of there she would either be dead of kidnapped, and she didn't like either idea. But her friends… He had left them behind. No, _they_ had left them behind. Lor clenched her fists, appalled at her weakness.

Law snapped back to reality and frowned, annoyed. He understood that she was furious and upset that her friends had been kidnapped, and even though they actually found the two women, they were taken once again from right under the green haired girl's fingertips. But what else could he have done? There was no way he would have left her there. He was _not_ going to lose her. Not again.

"Be reasonable, damn it, Lei-ya," Law sighed.

"I am being reasonable," she snapped, then clapped her hand over her mouth, mortified.

Her mouth could shut up now. She knew very well she wasn't being reasonable, and she was grateful to have Law. After all, he _had_ patiently listened to her rant at him for an entire hour without losing his temper.

Law raised an eyebrow at the sudden 'smack' sound and her gesture, and he _almost_ chuckled at how cute it was. He had the feeling that she would become genuinely mad at him if he did, though, so he held it in.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, looking anywhere but at him.

He reached out to put a hand on top of her head, the sudden weight making her glance up through her lashes at him. Law fought a blush. Her face was flushed from her rant and her embarrassment at having ranted, and the way she looked at him didn't help.

"Everything's going to be _fine_. I won't give you to them, but I won't let them harm your friends either, okay?" Law told her. "We'll find them."

She nodded, a sheepish smile on her lips. Law had a way of making her feel better. She must be the luckiest girl in the world to have met and claimed him. Lor gave a small sigh and took a few steps forward to lean into him, his close proximity and scent calming her down. For a moment she felt like a pervert, sniffing him like that, but from the amused chuckle and the vibration in his chest, he didn't seem to mind.

"Come on. Let's think of some ideas to find them," Law said, reluctantly pulling away.

"They're marines. Or at least, one of them is," Lor said, a little disappointed that he had stopped holding her, but quickly getting into the conversation.

"Hmm, okay…" Law's brows furrowed.

That made things difficult. They were _pirates_ , and high bounty ones to boot. If they got involved with marines it usually ended badly. If they got involved with marines who had the guts and ability to _kidnap two of a Yonko's crew_ , and on top of that, to be involved with _Joker_ , then they had to be dealing with high ranked marines. Worst case scenario, it was a marine plot. Best case scenario, it was one of the admirals.

"Smoker could help," Lorelei said. "He could probably track them, but I don't want to involve him in this."

"Last resort then," Law said, even if he didn't like how the girl mentioned the White Chaser.

 _Her brother_ , Law reminded himself, pushing the thought of their incestuous relationship out of his head.

So where did that leave them? The only solution Law could think of that would get both of them closer to their goals was one he wasn't all too pleased with. Sure, it brought many advantages, but he hated marines, loved his freedom. And even more than that, he hated a certain man working with the marines.

But if it was the only choice…

"One of us could become a shichibukai," Law finally said. "Namely me."

Lor's eyes widened for a moment in surprise, then she nodded. "If we're going with that plan, it's better if you do it. You're the captain. Besides… I already declined them once."

Now it was Law's turn to stare at her with shock.

"They offered me a position when I was still in Mihawk's crew," she explained. "I declined, since he was already a shichibukai, and I had left the marines to be free of them. I didn't become a pirate to become their ally."

Only when Law thought about it for a moment did it make sense for the marines to want to make her a shichibukai when she was already a shichibukai's subordinate. Of course they would offer. She was the siren who could stop a war, for goodness sakes! Even if she didn't like using her ability too much, and rarely took advantage of it, she was still a major threat to the World Government.

"I agree. If I am a shichibukai then the protection will extend to the rest of the crew, and…" Law hesitated, not knowing if he should tell her the rest. But he decided to anyways, regardless of the possible negative consequences. "And you heard them, right? They said 'Joker'. He's the man I hate more than anything."

"Oh," Lor said.

Law raised an eyebrow, but felt secretly relieved. So she didn't hate him for having ulterior motives in helping her.

"That's good. We'll kill two marines with one stone," Lor nodded.

Law's eyebrow shot higher. "Two marines with…?"

"I like birds, so I substituted it with marines," Lor said simply, shrugging.

Law hid a smile.

They were silent for a moment, but it was in no way a tense silence. Now that they had taken a step forward in their plans, both felt a lot calmer, a lot more like their rational selves.

"Oh…" Lorelei said suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"I forgot to mention… I know one of the kidnappers."

Law's mind reeled. " _What_?"

"The one who used the seastone mist and attacked me with a sword…" Lor said sheepishly. "He's my father."


	48. Chapter 48

A/N: Thank you gOthiCkUrOcHo69 and Rosalix Archangel for following and favoriting!

I wholehearted agree with Law on the not wanting children part. *Shudders* I already told my mom and grandparents long ago not to expect any children from me. The exact reason why I would _never_ write fics with marriage and pregnancies. While some girls actually dream about it, to me, both are too cringe-worthy.

* * *

With the discussion over, the two had silently prepared for bed. Law had slipped into the sheets beside her and listened to her breathing, hoping that it would help him sleep, but he seemed to have no luck with that. As the minutes ticked by, Law remained all too awake and alert, unable to get his mind to stop reeling.

For one thing, he couldn't stop thinking about Joker. He had to train himself to use the alias just so he wouldn't tense up and get a 'scary' expression on his face, as Bepo called it, but the trick wasn't working. He knew too well who used that alias, and his mind linked the name with the mental image too easily. He didn't know whether he was excited about getting closer to that man, or furious that Doflamingo would create a connection with _his_ Lorelei, even if the pirate didn't intend to.

As time went on, Law only seemed to find more and more reasons to hate Doflamingo, to kill him and take revenge. He already knew Cora-san wouldn't like him taking this path, but it was too late. Far too late. He hated Doflamingo with every fiber of his being, and if it meant he could kill the man, he would throw away _everything_ , and never regret having avenged Corazon. Whether he later regretted destroying his bonds or not was a different story, and he already knew for sure there were at least fifteen bonds he would regret severing. He just hoped things would never come to that, and that he would have enough options when the time came.

For another, the little piece of news of Lorelei's relation to the light haired kidnapper stunned Law. He knew the man had to be a complete asshole of a bastard, but to go this far… Was the man even human anymore? Law knew for sure that if he had a little human running around, even if it grew into a normal sized human, he wouldn't ever do such a thing. He might neglect it a bit, maybe run a few harmless experiments, but nothing that would scar it permanently or maim slash kill it.

Besides, the only person he would ever consider having little humans with was Lor, and even then, he was _very_ reluctant. Law did not like children, and he was fairly certain Lor didn't either. Not to mention that the ocean and a pirate submarine was no place for children to grow up, especially in the first few years when they are oh so vulnerable and incapable of anything except drinking milk, sleeping, and pooping. Law shuddered at the thought.

Shanks' crew had immediately set off in search of their missing crewmates, but the Heart Pirates remained on the island. He wasn't waiting for the log pose to set anymore. Rather, he was waiting to come up with a plan to become a shichibukai, because the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like the best course of action. Granted, it probably helped him more in the long run, but for now, they had less than a week for him to become a shichibukai, find Lorelei's friends, and rescue them.

If she gave herself up at the end of the week, it would give them more time to hatch a plan to save everyone, because Law seriously doubted that a man like Lorelei's father would oh so kindly return the two women when they got his cook. But… Law really did not want to let her go anywhere near that man. He didn't want to risk it. So that only left a five day time limit.

Law turned over in bed and groaned into his pillow, muffling the sound so he didn't wake the girl next to him.

Apparently it either wasn't enough, or she wasn't asleep in the first place.

"Law?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you still awake?"

In the faint moonlight he could just barely see her features as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before she stared at him with full alertness. He brushed the stray hairs out of her face before settling the hand on her waist and pulled her in.

"Thinking."

"About?"

"How to become a shichibukai."

She sighed. "Kill a whole bunch of people."

He made a face. "Sounds cruel."

"You're the Surgeon of Death, Dr. Heart Stealer," Lor deadpanned.

Law opened his mouth to retort, but paused, frowned, and shut his mouth with an audible snap. Dr. Heart Stealer. She had called him that before, even though it was more figurative than literal now. But he could give it a literal meaning again, and apply it to other people.

After all, nothing better than creeping out a whole bunch of marines, and what scares people more than having a beating heart in his hand?

But Law wasn't going to kill civilians. And killing a large number of marines wasn't the best way to get into their good books, not that pirates would ever make the 'nice' list. However, pirates killing pirates…

Now that was a thought.

"What's that smirk for?" Lor asked warily.

He blinked, surprised, until he felt his facial muscles in a very familiar position. So he _was_ smirking, and rather sadistically at that. Well, it had been too long since he had shown people why he was called the Surgeon of Death, and why he was one of the Worst Generation.

"I have an idea," Law told her.

"Involving a lot of death, making people freak out, and manipulation," she nodded.

Law sent her a wounded look. "Now what makes you say that? You're hurting my fragile, sensitive heart."

"Tell me the day you get one, and I'll send you a congratulations present," Lor retorted.

"How cruel," Law murmured, but a smile curved his lips. "But I may just get one."

"Of your own?"

"Why would I want to keep something so disgusting? The only heart I need is yours," Law purred.

"Shameless flirt."

"Only for you~"

She sent him a level stare with a single brow raised, and he smirked. The smirk faded slowly as he wondered whether he should tell her about his plan and decide whether to let her come along based on her reaction, or leave her on the island as he went about the work. That kind of utter cruelty wasn't something he wanted her to see, even if she already knew too much about the world's brutality.

No, perhaps it was _because_ she knew.

"Tell me," she said.

Well, that decided things for him.

"I'm going to collect hearts," Law said.

"Please tell me you're sending them to the marines. If you start a collection of living, beating hearts on the ship I swear I'm leaving," she deadpanned.

"Then you're not going anywhere."

She hummed thoughtfully, nodding. Law found her strangely calm about the issue. Maybe she was sleepy enough that it hadn't sunken in yet, but he had told her he was going to tear the hearts out of chest cavities, basically stick them into a crate, and mail them to the marines. Yet, as long as he didn't _keep_ them, she didn't seem to care.

"How many?" Lorelei finally asked.

"How many do you think?" Law hadn't thought that far. What was the line between creepy yet dangerous and frightening, and batshit insane and a threat that must be immediately eliminated?

"A nice round number. Doable, but not easy," Lorelei said, and with the glint of curiosity in Law's eyes encouraging her, she finished with a mischievous smile, "A hundred pirate hearts."


	49. Chapter 49

The crew was exhausted, to say the least. Collecting a hundred pirate hearts was no easy task under normal circumstances, and they were certainly in _unusual_ circumstances. They were pressed for time and they had to collect pirates with a relatively high bounty.

But they were almost done. Only one or pirate crews left to collect, depending on the size of the crew. Law wanted exactly a hundred hearts, just to make it creepier for the marines. That meant a few would either be spared, or would become his guinea pigs for whatever experiment he wanted to perform. It really depended on the age of the youngest crew members and how much evil they had done before. As Law had thought before, he would not do anything to children.

"Captain," Bepo said, voice slurred from the lack of sleep. "The radar picked up a signal. Confirmed to be a pirate ship."

Law nodded. "Get ready for…"

The man's words faltered at the disinterested looks on the faces of his crew, and the overly sluggish reaction time. In a corner of the room, he could see Penguin standing inside the freezer where he fell asleep—somebody _please_ get his mechanic out before he got frostbite on his nose—and Shachi sleeping too close to the boiling kettle. When the white tiger and grizzly bear were the most alert living beings on his submarine, it meant that only the tiger and grizzly were ready for battle.

Law sighed. Perhaps they should skip the ship, and wait for the next one. But the moment he thought that, he dismissed it. They were on a tight schedule, and they had no idea when they would encounter another pirate ship. Yet, sending the sleep deprived crew into battle was sending them to their graves. They needed _sleep_.

"Surface. Everyone put in your earplugs," Lor mumbled, fighting back a yawn.

Law's lips pressed into a thin line when he noticed that it took almost fifteen whole seconds for the crew to stare blankly at her, blink, comprehend her words, and start moving. Being used to insomnia, he was almost fine with the lack of rest. His crew, on the other hand, had a regular schedule. A regular schedule that their quest was disrupting rather badly. As a doctor, he had the feeling that if they didn't get some sleep, they would lose consciousness, and then they would be stuck in bed for much too long.

Quickly, his eyes skimmed over the crew members, looking for those who were more alert than the rest. It seemed like he had no choice but to work them in shifts, and even though it would put more pressure on those working, at least they would be well rested in between. His eyes narrowed as he found that fewer were fit for duty than he expected.

The only thing he could do was pick out those who were even the slightest bit more alert, and divide the crew members into two based on their duties, so each shift would have someone to do any job that came up.

"Vulpes, Coyote, Penguin, Azarashi, Kuzuri, Otter, Albatross, and Ashika, go to sleep now. You have six hours," Law said, and almost smiled as half his crew stumbled out with small smiles, too tired to cheer like they wanted to. "Everyone else, keep working for those six hours, and you get fifteen hours of sleep afterwards. Lei-ya, make a lot of coffee."

She blinked uncomprehendingly for a moment, before she nodded, and moved to the kitchen, muttering, "Now where did I leave the tea bags?"

An eyebrow shot up as Law watched her meander through the kitchen she was more than familiar with, before her face finally lit up, and she opened the oven door to take out a box of tea bags. Next she grabbed a bag of coffee beans from the towel drawer.

…Maybe he should have sent her to get some sleep too.

Humming a random tune, she ground the beans and stuck them in the coffee machine, before setting to work brewing tea. Law nodded appreciatively. So even in this tired state she could tell that some people would want tea instead of coffee—

 _What in the world was she doing_?!

"Lei-ya—" Law began.

But it was too late. She had poured the tea into the coffee, before distributing the mixture into mugs. Law's jaw unhinged. His face twisted in disgust. Red tea and coffee? Really? That was probably the most _disgusting_ … Alright, so not the _most_ disgusting. He could think of many things even worse—

 _Why_ was she adding _milk_ and _syrup_ to that?!

Law fought the urge to gag. And when Lor came up to him with two mugs, one for him and one for herself, he took it, but stared cautiously at the contents. He was _not_ going to drink that strange mixture, and it had _nothing_ to do with the fact that he wasn't in the mood for anything sweet. Still, Lorelei stood sipping her own mug, her head cocked at him. His eyes flicked to her face before returning to the cup. If he watched her expression for too long, he would cave in and drink. And he was _not_ going to—

Oh. It didn't taste half bad. Quite good, in fact, especially coming from her lips. Law ran his tongue across her lower lip experimentally, trying to see if he could understand the taste, and get inside her mouth in the same move. Unfortunately, she didn't let him in, and moved back instead.

"Drink," she told him, gesturing to the steaming mug in his hands, and started walking away.

"Lei-ya, where are you—"

"Deck. I'll deal with the pirate crew, and you can take their hearts out when I'm done."

Law blinked. He had forgotten about that. Actually, he hadn't even noticed the sub surface. Almost groaning, he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Seemed like he was more tired than he originally thought.

Mere moments later, she reappeared next to him, looking even more haggard than when she left. Law stared at her for a moment. It was strange how love worked—your partner could look like a living corpse, and he would still be attracted to her, still feel his heartbeat increase when she was near. On the other hand, he knew _he_ looked like a living corpse too.

He sighed and got to his feet, eyes widening slightly in shock as he stumbled, his head reeling and sending him off balance. Lorelei was beside him in a heartbeat, a hand on his arm to steady him. Law frowned.

"You should get some sleep," Lor said quietly. "I'll watch them."

"No."

"Law…"

"You need sleep like I do. I'm not going to bed without you," he replied stubbornly.

He could see her hesitate, her mind wavering at the temptation of blessed sleep. But she held firm. She shook her head. Law sighed. Of course she was as stubborn as him.

"I'll grab the hearts now," Law said. " _Then_ we'll sleep."

It took a few hours. Law and Bepo kept wax in their ears to prevent any sounds from getting through, just in case Lorelei had to knock the captured crew out again. Law popped heart after heart out of chest cavities, placing them carefully in the sack Bepo held. The bag would later be labeled with the crew name and jolly roger, with specific bounty posters attached for the noteworthy crew members. The pirates themselves, however, would continue to roam the seas, but this time, they would be searching for their hearts rather than treasure. That was, of course, if the marines didn't do something to the hearts and cause the owners of the organs to drop dead.

Finally, their collection was complete. They had a hundred pirate hearts.

Although Law was hesitant to leave the sub under the watchful eyes of two animals that didn't speak human, the crew members he hadn't sent to bed were dead on their feet. Therefore, Law ordered them to submerge, Lorelei asked her pets to watch the submarine and the situation, and they all went to bed, leaving the hallways of the submarine devoid of human life forms.

"Goodnight," Lor said, pecking Law sweetly on the cheek.

"Night," Law replied, somehow finding the energy to smirk.

It took a few seconds for him to realize that, no, she should _not_ go back to her room.

"Wait, Lei-ya—" Law began.

He forgot that he had taken all the appendages out of the bags to label, and…

Said girl walked straight out of her room with a deadpan expression on her face, not at all amused. " _Law_ …"

"Lei-ya… I can explain…"

" _Law_ , _why are there a hundred pirate hearts on display in my room_?"


	50. Chapter 50

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It was a pleasant morning when the Heart Pirates woke up, fully rested and ready to work. Of course, it helped that breakfast was hearty and delicious, Lor having woken up a few hours earlier to cook enough food to feed an army of sea kings. Law wasn't too happy about her rolling out of bed, but there was nothing he could do. He recruited her as a cook, so she was going to do her job. He could only grumble and try to decide between going with her or going back to sleep.

Needless to say, he chose the latter.

Law got a few more hours of sleep before the smell of breakfast woke him up. Slowly, the Heart Pirates migrated towards the kitchen, drawn by the delicious scents. When they got to the mess hall, they marveled at the sight of food. It wasn't every day that their cook made such a spread, usually preferring to make mass quantities of food with as few ingredients as possible, considering that they never knew what situation would come up that could strand them at sea for days, and that in some places, ingredients were really _expensive_.

"Dig in," Lor said.

With a cheer, they practically dove for the tables. She suspected they would have eaten direction from the serving plates if their captain had not cleared his throat rather pointedly, and glanced over at the stack of plates. Sheepishly they rose from their seats to grab plates and utensils before they once again, more politely this time, sat back down.

That didn't stop the feast from being devoured in fifteen minutes flat.

Law raised his eyebrows at them before poking a pancake. Did that count as bread? Because Lorelei knew he hated bread, yet there were dozens of bread products. Pizza, calzones, curry bread, anpan, yakisoba pan… His gaze shot over to her and he glared, only for her to send him an innocent smile. Law's eyes widened. She _knew_! She was teasing him on purpose!

Law scowled at her for a moment before digging in, piling everything that wasn't bread onto his plate. As much as he wanted to punish her and tease her in return, if he didn't eat soon, his share of food would disappear as well. He mentally shook his head at his crew. They behaved like they hadn't eaten for days. For a moment, he wondered if the meals Lorelei usually made satisfied their hunger, but he shook that thought off. If they ate like this every day at every meal, he would have a crew of extremely obese pirates on his hand. Besides, it wasn't like they had lost any weight since Lor became their cook. In fact, he could swear most of them gained a few pounds.

He took a bite. His eyes widened.

The pirate captain ate more quickly than normal, practically shoveling food into his mouth like the rest of his crew. It was only when he finished did his eyes wander over to the only female on board, wondering if she had eaten. Well, he mused, glancing at the overly full bellies and empty plates, it wasn't like there was any food left even if she hadn't eaten.

"Alright. Get to work," Law ordered. "We should get to one of the main marine bases today."

"Captain," Kuzuri called out. "Is any one okay?"

Law raised an eyebrow. "Yes, as long as it's a major base. They will deal with the details within themselves."

"Aye, captain. Leave the troublesome work to the marines," Kuzuri grinned.

It was amusing to see the crew in motion for the next hour. They were so stuffed that they were almost rolling instead of walking, their bellies jutting out in a way that could not possibly be comfortable. Law sat back to let the food digest. It was one of the perks of being a captain and the doctor—at times like this he didn't need to do anything.

Alas, there was still other work to be done.

"Lei-ya, come help," Law ordered the moment she finished washing the dishes.

She sent him a deadpanned look. "Help me dry the dishes first."

Law's jaw slackened, but then his eyes hardened. "Are you ordering me around?"

"You did first," Lor shrugged, then turned back to her work.

He sighed. It had been awhile, so he had almost forgotten that she hated being ordered around just as much as he did. For a moment, he wondered how Mihawk and Smoker had gotten around that when they were her captains. Maybe he should call and ask.

Still, he stood and grabbed a cloth and a wet dish. Lorelei's eyes widened and she stared at him in shock. Was Law actually _helping_? And after she had 'ordered' him to? Lor frowned and put down the dried plate before reaching out for his forehead. He didn't feel overly warm. Just normal human temperatures…

"I'm not sick," Law grouched. "I just want this done so you'll come help."

"Hm."

The work went quickly after that, both of them drying off the dishes efficiently before replacing them in the cupboards to secure them in case the submarine hit a metaphoric bump. And then Law led her to her room. It wasn't difficult to think of what he wanted help with.

No, nothing sexual. He needed to label and bag the hearts.

Lorelei sighed and got to work, placing hearts in separate bags before folding up the bounty posters neatly and sliding them into the appropriate bag. She had no idea how Law had the time to display all the hearts in her room and put the according bounty poster under it, but no time to put the hearts in bags. Lor tightened the strings on top of the bags and tied them securely before placing the hearts gently into the crate. Just because they were handing the hearts to the marines did not mean the pirates had to be in pain from a bruised heart.

They arrived in the afternoon. The crew gathered, save for the helmsman, as the submarine rose to the surface. Law smirked. He could practically see the marines panicking, could actually hear the alarm bells ringing, calling all the marines on hand to the seaside.

Good.

It was perfect if many marines saw his little 'gift'. The more witnesses, the harder it would be to deny what had happened. His eyes moved to Bepo, and the bear obediently picked up the crate. Law opened the door and stepped out onto deck, and smirked down at the panicking marines.

"Room. Shambles."

In that split second, the crate stood in front of the marines, and Law on the harbor several feet away. His hand casually held his nodachi, and he had a look of complete confidence on his face. The marines were completely terrified, even before opening the crate. His status as one of the Worst Generation helped a lot, and Lorelei's presence on deck didn't hurt either. They were infamous.

"W-what is…" A brave marine approached the box after hearing a strange noise coming from inside, as if something living was inside.

The box jumped, and jumped again. A shaking hand reached out to pry off the lid. The marine leapt back in terror as the bags throbbed. Law's smirk darkened sadistically as the marines backed away step after step, too afraid and creeped out by the Surgeon of Death to go anywhere near him.

The crate was full of hearts, living and beating.

Frowning, the Admiral of the base pushed forward. Law's smirk faded, and he could practically feel Lorelei tense. The man's eyes scanned the box before flicking to Lorelei, lingering for a moment too long. Only then did he look at Law.

"Are you delivering her too?"

Law smirked darkly, sadistically. "Not a chance."

As much as he wanted to kill Lor's father, this wasn't the time or place. Without another word, he returned to the sub, everyone went back inside, and it sank out of sight.

Nobody pursued them.


	51. Chapter 51

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Everybody knew what was being delivered when the bird arrived. The Heart Pirates had remained on the surface for the past day, knowing that the marines would work fast, and knowing that the mail would arrive sooner rather than later. The mail bird landed on the railings and dropped the package onto the floor before staring at the group expectantly.

Well, it got a surprise, all right.

"No! Laska, drop the bird!" Lor half shouted, trying to pry the tiger's jaw open.

The white tiger blinked once, staring at her with innocent eyes. The tufts of feathers sticking out from his teeth completely betrayed him. So did the muffled squawks of shock and terror coming from inside the large mouth.

"Laska," Lor said in a no nonsense tone.

The tiger obediently opened his mouth, and a soaked and ruffled and extremely perturbed bird tumbled out. It sat dazed on its behind, and if it was in an anime, it would have swirls in its eyes. Lor picked it up gently and brushed as much tiger saliva off the feathers as possible, before deeming it useless and giving up. The bird would need a bath.

Law couldn't say he was surprised when the girl, still carrying the bird, turned on her heel and marched back inside the sub, the tiger following her with his eyes trained on the bird. It was going to be his meal the moment Lor turned her back. Laska's tongue peeked out to lick his chops, a cat grin growing on his face. Law narrowed his eyes at the cheeky tiger, already able to guess what the predator was thinking.

"Let's go inside and read the letter," Law said before following the tiger.

It was only when Lor got to the kitchen that she turned, her mouth open to speak, and she froze. Her eyes widened. Lorelei shifted the bird to one hand and covered her mouth with the back of the other—where there was no tiger saliva, of course—and Law watched with growing concern as her shoulders began to shake, her face hidden by a curtain of hair.

She quickly shoved the dazed bird into Law's hands before she ran into the kitchen. But even the shut door couldn't hide the sounds of Lorelei's laughter. Half curious and half miffed, Law shoved the bird to Bepo—"don't let Laska eat it"—before opening the door and yanking the cook out.

Lor never stopped laughing.

The entire crew stared at her, partly marveling that she was, in fact, capable of laughing like that, and partly wondering if she needed medication. There really was nothing to laugh at about the crew, and if there was, she would have laughed when she met them, and not after she should have gotten used to their clothes and manners and everything.

"What's so funny?" Kuzuri finally asked.

It took her a few moments to calm down enough to speak between giggles. "D-ducklings!"

With that one word and a glance at them, she burst out into laughter again. Law sent her a perplexed look before turning to look at his crew. What about ducklings? The only birds on the submarine was the mail bird Bepo was holding, and Penguin's bird sized brain.

And then Law understood. The innocently obedient looks in the eyes of his crew told him that they had lined up like children to follow their captain back into the sub. He sighed and his head landed in his hand. Only Lor would imagine that the way all of them walked single file behind the tiger and the cook resembled ducklings following behind their mother. His eyes peeked out through the gaps in his fingers. Why _had_ they walked in single file anyways?

Well, it didn't matter, as long as Lorelei _stopped laughing_. Sure, it was cute the way she laughed like that, but it was irritating that she was laughing _at_ all of them, and that included Law.

"Lei-ya, hurry and wash the bird so we can open the mail," Law huffed.

The laughter disappeared immediately, replaced by a startled look. She had almost forgotten the bird. Hurriedly she took the frightened avian from Bepo and put it gently on the counter, plugging the sink and opening the tap to let out a stream of warm water. Most birds didn't like water, but it would have to deal if it wanted all the saliva off.

"Kuzuri, start reading," Law commanded.

All the members of his crew knew how to read. It was a requirement, and anybody that didn't know how would immediately begin learning. Needless to say, the best readers were the two nobles, who had been educated the way nobles all were, and Law.

The navigator unfolded the letter and cleared his throat, " ' _To Trafalgar Law:_

 _In the light of recent events, we the marines hereby extend an invitation for you to join the ranks of the Shichibukai. All Shichibukai must act in accord with the marines and maintain a certain standard of loyalty to the World Government that will be explained in the initiation meeting. In exchange, the Shichibukai will have a certain level of freedom, as the marines would not attack the Shichibukai or his/her crew. Furthermore, the Shichibukai will have free passage on marine lines and access to marine information networks._

 _If you agree to the terms stated above, you must attend the mandatory initiation ceremony at xx marine base on xx day at xx time. If you do not show up, it will be assumed that you decline the position, and we will react accordingly. In addition, you may bring no weapons and only one crew member to the meeting._

 _We hope you accept this invitation._

 _Sincerely,_

 _The Marines_ '"

"Basically a long winded way of saying 'please join us because we're terrified of you,'" Penguin said wryly.

Law nodded wordlessly, a smirk sitting comfortably on his lips. He glanced up to see Lorelei's reaction, and his smirk almost fell. She was carefully washing the bird's feathers as if without a care in the world, her eyes completely focused on her task. Her fingers combed out the feathers and rinsed them off individually, before smoothing them out. And the bird, the stupid thing, was enjoying the process all too much, its head buried in between his cook's breasts.

If it was male, Law would set it free when Lor was done—right into Laska's waiting jaw.

"Captain?" Bepo asked tentatively.

Law glared at the bear.

"Sorry!" Bepo yelped.

"No, what was it?" Law sighed, tearing his eyes away from _his_ cook once again.

"Full speed ahead?" Bepo asked, still cowering a little.

"Of course," Law replied smoothly.

"Who's a good mail bird?" Lorelei's voice cooed.

Law's gaze shot back to the girl, the smile completely disappearing from his lips. The crew took it as a sign to scatter and get to work. None of them dared consider the reasons for the captain's sudden ill mood—they knew at the back of their minds, but the concept was too ridiculous to think about. This was _Law_ , for goodness sakes. He didn't get jealous—oh wait. He did.

A small smile sat on Lorelei's lips as she towel dried the bird and combed out its feathers, before hugging it close. Law's glare intensified. Now the _entire_ bird was buried in Lorelei's chest valley, a place even Law hadn't properly touched yet. It had better pray to all the bird gods that it wasn't male, and if it was, that lightning would strike and it would lose all its male parts.

"Would you like some nuts?" Lor asked the bird.

It made a trilling sound from its throat, and she put it down on the table in front of Law before turning her back to grab some nuts from the pantry. Law glared straight into the bird's eyes. It glared straight back, fluffing out damp feathers to look as large as possible. Law stood up and glared down, an air of superiority around him.

Laska growled, eyes trained on the bird.

Screeching, the bird flapped its wings and launched itself at a surprised Lorelei, who turned at the last moment to catch the bird. It cuddled up to her, and Law saw its eyes turn to him, and the corner of its beak turning up in a smirk. Law growled. Lor glanced at him, confusion written all over her face, and Law forced an easygoing smirk back on before she noticed something was off.

Lor frowned, shrugged, and grabbed a handful of peanuts before returning to the table and putting everything down, watching the bird as it pecked ravenously at the food. Law put an arm around her waist and pulled her in. The bird immediately stopped eating, preferring to glare at the filthy disgusting pirate male for tainting the nice sweet girl who didn't let it get eaten and offered food and a soft place to put itself.

"He doesn't like you," Lor commented, and sidestepped so Law's hand slid off her.

He felt his hand slap the side of his thigh, surprised. She… preferred the bird?


	52. Chapter 52

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It was a very irritated and murderous Law that stepped off the submarine when they arrived at the marine base. The marine that was supposed to lead him to the meeting room looked absolutely terrified the moment he saw Law's dark expression, immediately fearing for his life. He doubted that the pirate would try anything in a marine base, but no one ever knew with those pirates. Well, the man thought with relief, at least he didn't have weapons—

Oh lords. He had something worse.

The marine almost soiled his pants when a young green haired beauty appeared behind Law, trailing behind him with something fluffy in her hands. He had the _Siren_ with him. With _that_ woman around, nobody needed weapons. The marine had heard that the Siren stopped the war singlehandedly, without even moving. If she could stop those monsters, what would stop her from destroying the marine base when she was inside?

Oh no. What if that was their goal? What if they had planned everything out just so they could gain entry to the marine base, kill all the marines, and take it for themselves?

"Hey," Law said.

The marine jumped, producing an unmanly squeak.

"Do you like chicken?"

What was this? What did the new Shichibukai to be want? If the marine answered that liked chicken would he die? Did Trafalgar Law like birds? Did he want the man's heart? Oh gods, did he _eat_ marine hearts like the rumors said? Maybe he hated marines and loved animals, so he ate marines whenever he wanted meat, just so the animals he loved could live!

"Y-yes?" The marine asked hesitantly.

"Good," Law said, and with a rough motion, tore the mail bird out of Lor's grasp—he ignored the yelp of protest from his cook—and shoved it into the terrified marine's hands. "Your dinner."

"Law!" Lor half shouted, mortified.

Half lunging forward, she snatched the traumatized bird out of the equally traumatized marine's hands, before hugging it closely and stroking it in an almost futile attempt to mollify it. It only stared at Law with a newfound fear and sense of horrification towards human males. The mail bird swore then and there to start delivering mail—for it _was_ a mail bird and had no other purpose in life—to less dangerous creatures. Like perhaps sea kings.

Law's dark gaze snapped to the bird, and it felt a jolt of electricity run up its spine. With a loud squawk, it flapped its wings none too gently and took off, barreling through the hallways of the marine headquarters and startling low level marines left and right. Needless to say, Lorelei was not too happy about that. Law forcefully held back a smile and reached back to smooth down her hair, the green strands sticking out all over the place from the wind stirred up by the bird's wings.

He took it as a good sign when she didn't smack away his hand.

The marine leading the two Heart Pirates waited patiently—or rather he was too scared of the two to interrupt the moment—until Law was done and they could get on their way. The man really didn't know which of the three choices were worse. Waiting for Law to take his time and risk angering the marine's superiors for wasting precious time, waiting for Law to take his time and make the waiting Shichibukai impatient and angry, or hurrying the dangerous, terrible Surgeon of Death and Siren.

He compromised by waiting for Law and then walking much more quickly than before to make up for lost time. Of course, the two pirates kept up easily, and unlike the marine, they weren't even winded when they arrived outside the room. The marine knocked tentatively on the door, then a little more confidently, before opening it.

The confidence wilted, died, and began decomposing.

Golden eyes pierced through the marine's soul, a wicked smirk nearly stopped the marine's heart. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a squeak came out. He could feel clammy sweat beading on his forehead. The two Shichibukai only continued to stare at him, waiting for him to either speak or get out of the way.

Law made the decision for him.

He shoved the marine aside and stepped almost arrogantly into the room, a smirk on his face and his chin tilted up. It didn't matter if he swaggered a little too much—Mihawk wouldn't attack as long as Lor was his crew member, and Lor would be quick to move against any other opponent. But Law's eyes didn't match his expression and body language. They were stormy with hatred and anger, barely concealed.

"Dismissed!" A woman's voice barked.

Law and Lor's gazes shot to the woman, before they realized she was addressing the cowering marine still shaking in his boots. He scrammed.

"Trafalgar Law and Rhine Lorelei," the woman said, distaste obvious in her voice. Lor wondered how she got a job working with Shichibukai when she so apparently hated pirates. "Welcome. Please take a seat."

Law sat easily, making himself at home in his chair. Lor opted to stand behind him, staring at the marine as if daring her to say anything about it. The woman took a look at the Siren's face, and dismissed the matter. It didn't matter if that one was sitting or standing—she just had to open her mouth and all of them were done for anyways.

The marine woman slid a contract paper over to Law, and Law glanced down to see the two Shichibukai's and a marine admiral's names already signed. Only one dotted line stood empty, waiting for Law's own signature. Immediately his eyes began scanning the words written, searching for all possible information and loopholes either side could take advantage of.

"Trafalgar Law, first, the rules—"

Law held up a hand, interrupting the marine woman. He had a feeling that she was only going to reiterate what was on the paper, and while he didn't particularly care about saving her time and breath, he would rather not have an annoying voice droning in the background while he was examining the contract. The woman shut her mouth, pressing her lips tightly together, and waited impatiently for Law to finish. Just to spite the marine, he started reading even more slowly. When he did, he smirked at the woman, and to add to the marine's level of irritation, he handed the contract to Lor to read. She did so more quickly, but just as thoroughly, before she handed it back to Law.

Lorelei glanced at Mihawk and Doflamingo, a little surprised that the latter had waited so patiently. As for the former, well, she wasn't surprised to see his eyes closed, the strongest swordsman in the world taking a short nap. She fought the urge to go tug on his mustache to see how he would react. Really, she had no idea how she resisted for so many years.

She had, though, stolen his hat before.

"Well?" The woman finally said. "Do you swear to abide by the rules? Any breach of the contract will result in the Shichibukai title being revoked."

"Yes, yes," Law said flippantly, waving a hand. "So can we get on with things?"

"Fine. You may leave," the woman said. "A guide will lead you back to your ships."

"Unnecessary," Mihawk said, and stood.

"Agreed," Law nodded, mimicking the motion.

The woman opened her mouth as if to argue, but decided against it. Pirates were a stubborn, uncouth bunch of misfits. She would just send someone to follow them and make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Or rather, make sure they didn't cause any trouble.


	53. Chapter 53

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* * *

They stopped. They _stopped_! They were going back to their ships, right? They were leaving, right? Pirates did not like to linger in marine bases like they owned the place! So _what the heck was this situation_?

"Chica," Mihawk greeted.

"Captain," Lor nodded in return.

The marine woman stared blankly at the group still huddled in the room, conversing as if they didn't have a care in the world. She thought they were supposed to leave. And what was with the relationship between the four? The air was a lot more tense than the light conversation between Hawk Eyes and the Siren showed, and she had no doubt that most of the animosity originated from Trafalgar Law.

"Your captain was the last person I expected to become a Shichibukai," Mihawk said.

"Yes, well, other than the situation at hand, I seem to attract five things in life—devil fruits, powerful pirates, Shichibukai, people almost laughingly easy to tease, and assholes. Law currently fits four out of the five, since he obviously isn't a fruit," Lor said.

"Hey!" Law cut in, affronted. Did she just call him an asshole who was laughingly easy to tease?

"And I suppose I fit two out of the five?" Mihawk asked with a raised brow.

"Three," Lor corrected. "You are also too easy to tease."

"I… see?" Mihawk personally thought he was one of the worst people to tease, especially when he was woken from his nap. He did so enjoy his sleep, and preferred to use his sword to… _dissuade_ people from ever disrupting him, and from attempting to tease or mock him.

Then again, Lorelei got away with a lot of things, even towards people who had no idea she was the Siren.

Wait… Was she teasing him again? He sighed. The smile on her face and the mischievous glint in her eyes said she was. The little brat…

"And captain," Lor said, all signs of light heartedness vanishing from her expression. Mihawk stiffened. "There is a… situation."

Mihawk frowned. "A situation."

"A situation," Lor nodded, then hesitated. "I would not have said anything because I did not want to unduly alarm you, but time is running out."

Mihawk's frown deepened. She was speaking formally. That could only mean something very bad was happening. He opened his mouth to ask, then shut it again. The gears in his mind spun quickly even as he took a deep breath, preparing himself for bad news.

 _And if she was pregnant, no god or devil fruit in the world could save Trafalgar Law._

"Cornelia and Karin have been kidnapped," Lor said.

Mihawk was in the middle of a sigh of relief when the full brunt of the words hit him. " _What_?!"

Lor smiled awkwardly at her former captain. She hadn't wanted to tell him, really. He was a Shichibukai, and if he got involved, he might have the title revoked. Her father was a high ranking marine, after all, and the Shichibukai did not clash against the marines without consequences.

"By my father and another man," Lor continued.

"Does Shanks know?" Mihawk growled through clenched teeth.

"… Yes?"

The strongest swordsman in the world felt his jaw tense even further. It took everything he had to force out a polite, "Excuse me."

Lor chose to ignore the 'while I kill that red haired idiot' that Mihawk muttered under his breath. She turned to Law, who raised his eyebrow at her. "Well, that went well."

"What part of it?!"

"He's going to kill Shanks instead of directly assaulting all the marine bases he could find?" Lor guessed.

Law sighed and slapped his forehead with the heel of his hand. "We should go too, then."

"Running away?" A new voice mocked. "How rude of you, not to properly greet me. _Right_ , Law?"

Lor watched with curiosity and more than a little worry as Law's teeth clenched, and his hand shook with the effort of _not_ forming fists. His eyes flicked over to her expression, and he tilted his head down, far enough for the hat to cast a shadow over his eyes, effectively hiding the pure hatred and murderous glint from her view. He didn't need her seeing him like that.

But Doflamingo didn't like being ignored.

"So you rose up in the world," Doflamingo commented, almost offhandedly, but the challenge was clear in his eyes. "But you're still the same tiny weakling begging to join my crew."

Law's eyes flashed, his teeth clenched. "I don't recall ever _begging_ you for anything."

"No, you simply did what you wanted. Like the way you stole the Ope Ope no Mi," Doflamingo smirked. "Oh, it technically wasn't you though. _Corazon_ stole it for you, didn't he?"

The nodachi was out of its sheath in a moment, and suddenly all weapons were out. Lor put her back against Law's, her knives ready to deflect any attack by the marines, but half her attention stayed on the blonde Shichibukai. He was more dangerous than all the marines in the room combined, and a furious Law was not the usual crafty, clever, powerful Law. At this moment, even though Doflamingo was the only one remaining in the room who did not have a weapon in his grasp, he had the upper hand.

"Put your weapons down immediately!" The female marine ordered.

But neither Shichibukai heard her. And if they did, her words went in one ear and out the other. All their attention was on the other, and the aura radiating from their bodies was enough to suffocate someone. In fact… Lor pressed her lips tightly together. In fact, if there wasn't any haoshoku haki coming from Doflamingo, Lor would be surprised.

There wasn't enough to fell all the marines. They were all still standing, after all, even if they were breathing hard and sweating madly. It was just a hint of what Doflamingo had to offer, a threat and a promise.

"Law," Lor murmured, tugging on his sleeve.

He jerked it out of her hand.

" _Law_ ," she repeated more forcefully, this time maintaining a tight grip on the material.

"Why don't you listen to your little whore, Law?" Doflamingo mocked, smirking. "You wouldn't want her to kick you out of her bed, right?"

" _Lei-ya isn't a whore_ ," Law forced out. " _Talk about her, talk to her, or even look at her again, and I'll kill you_."

"But you can't," Doflamingo sneered. "If you could, you would have done it long ago. You hate me, don't you, Law? Even though I was your captain… It was unfortunate, you know. If you hadn't joined my crew, Corazon would still be alive. _You killed my little brother_."

"You _bastard_!" Law lunged for the smirking Doflamingo, his eyes wild.

His nodachi stopped inches from the blonde Shichibukai's neck, and Law's eyes stared into amber ones. His expression shifted from fury to shock, and then to anger. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What, can't even touch me?" Doflamingo jeered.

" _You_ shut up," Lor snapped, causing the older Shichibukai to blink in surprise. "And Law, stop being an idiot."

The surgeon wavered, eyes flickering between his enemy and his cook, before he sighed. And with great willpower, he re-sheathed his sword. All the marines sighed with relief and lowered their weapons.

"Why did you protect him?" Law said as calmly as he could, which was just about as calmly as a raging tempest.

"Who said I was protecting him?" Lor growled, scowling. "Now _let's go_."

Law reluctantly allowed her to lead him out of the room.

"You shouldn't have stopped him, girl," Doflamingo called out to Lor. "I could have taken care of it."

The girl stopped so abruptly that Law walked straight into her. He frowned at Doflamingo, taking a threatening step back towards the Shichibukai, but the tight grip on his sleeve stopped him. Law spun on his heel, opening his mouth to tell her to let go, but the look on her face made him freeze in his tracks.

" _If you look at him or talk to him, I will let you be,_ " Lor said, her tone dripping with poison, her expression mimicking the fury of hell fire. " _But if you touch him, hurt him, try to kill him, I will hunt you down and make sure you live a long life of fear and agony._ "

With that, she turned and stormed away, dragging the captain of the Heart Pirates behind her.

Doflamingo's eyes widened for a second with a delighted surprise, and his tongue flicked out over his smirking lips. The hand inside his pocket let go of the gun.


End file.
